An Orphan's Wish
by Animation Universe 2005
Summary: A sequel to 'Brother for Christmas' where two orphans wish to be adopted by a family and what better family to be adopted other than the Bushido-Akio's. Will they get their wish? Enjoy!
1. Ready for the Holiday

New Christmas fic here! It takes place one year after 'Brother for Christmas' and new additions of orphans will have their wish at the Bushido-Akio's house! For Master of Stories and SpiritualLoneWolfXIII! Hope you all enjoy your early Christmas gift!

* * *

An Orphan's Wish

by: Terrell James

Chapter 1: Ready for the Holiday

At the Valley of Peace, everyone got themselves prepped up for the holiday season and everyone is in very good cheer as parts of the snow starts falling through the Valley and at the Bushido-Akio home, the holiday spirit is no different there because every single parts of the family is decorating the house to make it more festive. Musaki and Arizona were helping Phoenix, Tsunami and Cody out with the decorations and setting them across the living room and den and Phoenix said, "How awesome is this holiday gonna be?"

"Extremely awesome." Musaki answered.

"I mean...can you believe that this is the first time that you're having it with us?" asked Tsunami.

Musaki and Arizona looked on in confusion at what Tsunami meant by that and Arizona asked, "Didn't we always celebrate it with you guys?"

"Not under the same roof." Tsunami replied.

Then it hit them that this was the first time they're spending it in their new home since moving out of the Jade Palace after Musaki's 18th birthday and they were immediately stoked up about it and Musaki said, "Oh...heck yeah, we are!"

"I think this is gonna be the best holiday ever with all of us together...the whole family." Arizona said, smiling.

Soon enough, Yow-Ni walks downstairs with just his baggy shorts and he scratched his butt a few times and he said, "Why's everything looking like we've stepped into a rich dude's house?"

"It's the holidays." Phoenix answered.

"The holidays? They still exist?" asked Yow-Ni, confusedly.

"Uh...yeah. Don't you guys celebrate holidays at South China?" asked Cody.

Yow-Ni scoffs at this question and replied, "There's no f***ing sense of people just acting like they're really friendly and s***. In South China, it's all violent street-fighting, crime, mating and people doing whatever. That's our tradition."

Most of them were a little disturbed by how Yow-Ni and the others celebrate that way and Tsunami said, "This year is gonna be an eye-opener for you then. And Sage too."

"Good f***ing luck with that." Yow-Ni said, with a scoff.

After that, he walks back upstairs and Musaki said, "I think we should give him a holiday awakening."

"Show him what the holidays are all about?" asked Arizona.

"Big time."

* * *

Next up...the orphanage!


	2. Orphan Volunteering

And here we see Max and most of the sibs at the orphanage volunteering.

* * *

Chapter 2: Orphan Volunteering

At the Bao Gu Oprhanage

Mako, Reiko, Samurai, Logan, Tae Kwan Do, Max, Duke, Bakari and Isaiah came over to have this reunion holiday thing to see how things were going since getting adopted and Mako was really happy to see Max, Bakari, Duke and Isaiah interact with the other orphans that have been adopted before then and Mako couldn't believe that it's been a year since he adopted Isaiah, Duke and Bakari and it has been a great year for them.

"...and that's how we all became brothers. I gotta say, I never thought that things would change after one year." Duke stated.

"Wow...I bet you and Max get along so well." one adopted bunny said.

"We have. We like to play tricks on him, but he tricks me back." Duke added.

Max nodded his head at that with a little smirk on his face and said, "I still might."

The bunny lets out a laugh and he turned to Max and he said, "I don't know if you remember me, but I've seen you run to your room a few times before. I wished I would've come over and asked if you were okay."

Max smiled after that and he said, "I didn't know you were worried about me. Thanks."

"You're welcome. I wished I would've been your friend." the bunny added.

"It's not too late to start now." Max said, with a smile.

Minutes later

Logan and Tae Kwan Do were doing some volunteer work there and Logan was already annoyed with the fact that he has to spend time with the kids and he would rather just have a lazy day and Tae Kwan could kinda notice Logan being irritant about it and he said, "Come on, Logan. Would it kill you to participate?"

"Actually, yes it would." Logan replied.

Tae Kwan rolled his eyes at this and he said, "Come on...you know dad adopted us, right? The least we can do is just give back."

"I'm too cool for charity, you know. 12 year olds don't do that." Logan said, acting cool as possible.

"Dude...you ain't that cool." Tae Kwan stated.

Just then, Logan saw Amber playing around with some of the kids and he stopped himself and just stared at her and never realized that she would give up her day to spend time with the kids and he lets out a soft sigh as he looked into her face and spaced out for a second. Tae Kwan looked at Logan and he lets out a sly smirk on his face and said, "Your girlfriend?"

"Aw, come on. Don't think like that." Logan added.

"Hey, Logan."

Logan looks up and sees Amber calling his name and he lets out a cool smile and said, "Hey, Amber. How ya doing?"

"Pretty good. I didn't know you could come over to spend time with the orphans." Amber said, coming to him.

Logan chuckled softly and replied, "I always do it."

"My dad makes him." Tae Kwan spat out, setting the record straight.

Logan responds with an elbow nudge to remind Tae Kwan not to butt in and still smiles and Amber said, "That's cool. My parents and I always do this every year."

"Really? That's awesome." Logan replied.

Tae Kwan saw this as a way of letting Logan know that he's trying to impress her and he lets out a small chuckle and said, "Girls..."

* * *

Logan totally has a crush on Amber. He's too cool to admit it. Well, stick around for more!


	3. Extra Volunteers

And we brought in a certain kung-fu master to volunteer his time at the orphanage.

* * *

Chapter 3: Extra Volunteers

As the day wears on, Max was helping Samurai and Tae Kwan Do with giving out their old toys for the kids that might want them for the holidays and right from the gate, Max gave away all of his toys to every kid and Samurai was surprised with Max's willingness for charity and he never expected Max to give all of it away so fast, but at the same time...he knows that it's a good cause.

"Max really surprises you, doesn't he?" Samurai asked.

Tae Kwan Do chuckled softly and he said, "Every single time. It makes our job as older brothers seem like it's backwards. He's supposed to learn from us, but we're learning from him."

After all of the toys was given away, they were surprised to see Po coming in to entertain the kids with some of his kung-fu moves and it got a lot of the kids excited and so did they and soon after that, Samurai comes across the panda and he said, "Hey, Po!"

Po turns around and sees Samurai, Tae Kwan Do and Max come this way and he immediately greets them and said, "Hey, guys! How goes it this holiday?"

"Just some volunteer work." Samurai replied.

"And I see you're here for some volunteer work too." Tae Kwan stated.

Po nods his head and he said, "Yep. Just thought I'd come to the orphanage and just make their kids' day even more awesomer. Same with the holidays too."

"That's cool, Po. We always volunteer here every season." Samurai added.

"Max just gave away truckloads of his toys to some needy kids. 500 of them." Tae Kwan Do added.

Po froze for a second and he was amazed to hear Max's charitable contribution to give away loads of toys to kids and it suddenly turns to admiration for the white tiger cub and he said, "That was awesome, Maxie-boy. That was awesome! See, this is the kind of person I would love to adopt."

Soon, Po brought Max over to the other kids and said, "This guy just gave away 500 toys to needy orphans. It's called being awesome with a big heart."

Max chuckled softly at this as he heard the kids cheer for Max and it was an entirely new feeling that he's being loved for the first time and it was a much better reception than what it was at the orphanage years earlier and after that, Max looks up at Po and he could definitely see a pattern between the two of them, like he wished he would have a big brother like that.

Afterwards, Max asked, "Did the others come too?"

"Nah, they're planning this holiday dinner for some of the kung-fu masters. Shifu assigned me and Tigress to host it together." Po answered.

"Ooh, bummer." Max added.

"Actually, we're doing pretty good as hosts. We help out with cooking and decorating. But come on...when it comes to eating, I can't resist." Po added.

Samurai could tell by that and he said, "It shows too."

Soon enough, Max's ears perk up something from miles away and he runs off for a second, leaving the rest wondering what's going on and they followed them there. By the time Max actually makes it towards the hallways, he was shocked to see that a few kids were picking on this one person and he said, "Enough!"

The others turned their attention to Max and one of the pre-teen boars snorted at him and said, "Man, what do you want?"

"Whomever you're picking on...leave or you'll receive a major holiday butt-kicking." Max said, with a warning growl.

"Man, who you think you are; the shrimpy Dragon Warrior?"

Suddenly, Max hears someone clear his throat and Po was standing there and said, "Nope...but I'm the real Dragon Warrior."

As soon as the teenage kids saw the real Dragon Warrior come in, they immediately stopped and placed their paws up and the boar said, "Okay, man. We get it."

Then, one of the water buffalos grabbed the kid and said, "This ain't over yet...because next time, you won't be so lucky, freak."

After that, Max comes close to the person and he asked, "Are you okay?"

In stands this young lynx cat; 10 years of age, orange-green eyes, light orange-yellow fur, stands at 5'3, weighs at 188 pounds, wearing a green vest and grey sweatpants and some tuft hair on his ears and the lynx responds, "Yeah...no thanks to you. Just get away from me."

The young lynx runs away and that was completely strange for Max because he never expected that reaction like that and Samurai said, "He should've said 'thank you' at least."

"I'm gonna see what's up with him." Max said, walking to where the lynx ran off to.

"Now I see why Tigress is always jealous of Max." Po said, in awe.

* * *

Who was that lynx? Stay tuned to find out.


	4. Sharing Same Pain

We finally get to see who this lynx cat is.

* * *

Chapter 4: Sharing Same Pain

Max continued to follow the lynx's footprints until it ended up in this one room and as he entered in, it was completely dark in there and Max was familiarized with that setting because he used to be in that same room when he was first in that orphanage 3 three years ago and soon enough, he saw that lynx cat sitting on the edge of the wall, turning away from everyone and everything.

"Why are you in my room?" the lynx cat asked.

"Well...I saved you from those bullies. I thought you'd thank me for it." Max replied.

"I didn't need anyone to save me from them. Besides, I'm used to them picking on me and having no one to save me." the lynx cub replied.

Just hearing that made Max's heart break for him and he knows exactly what that feeling was like and he said, "I know how you feel."

The lynx cat scoffs at Max's response and he said, "I find that hard to believe. How could you possibly know how I feel?"

"I know what it's like being picked on and not having someone save you or defend you." Max answered.

"Yeah...but why would you go through all this trouble just to defend me? You could've just left me alone to suffer again." the lynx cat stated.

"If I hadn't, that wouldn't feel right for me." Max answered.

The lynx cat could see that Max is not giving up on him and he lets out a big sigh and he asked, "Have you ever seen a lynx before?"

"Not that I know of. Can you show me who you are again?" Max asked.

Soon, the lynx cat stepped out of the darkness and stood in parts of the light to show himself and as Max was looking at him, he said, "You don't look like a freak to me."

"Maybe in your eyes. But in mine...I'm an ugly freak with big ears and hair on top of it." the lynx cat said.

Max knows that it's not true at all and he said, "Don't call yourself that. You're an awesome person."

"If I'm so awesome, why do I get picked on because of my ears, whiskers and my tail?" asked the lynx.

Max rose his eyebrow and asked, "What's wrong with your tail?"

Soon, the lynx showed Max his small tail and it didn't look like there was something wrong and Max said, "I don't see anything wrong."

"You just don't get it, do you? Every day...these guys make fun of me because of the way I look. No compliment is gonna help me and I believe that no family would want someone like me in their family." the lynx said, backing himself to the dark.

"I disagree. It's all those thoughts in your head. I do believe you're good enough for a family and someone will adopt you...especially around the holidays." Max elaborated.

"As much as you're trying to make me feel better, it's not working. It's just hopeless." the lynx said, sitting back in a corner.

Max could tell that this kid has been hurt a lot before and all of the things he's gone through are very similar to what he's been through before and he hopes that he can help this person out and he said, "It's never hopeless. You just have to have faith and believe in yourself."

Max was waiting for a response, but there wasn't any. And with that, Max started to walk out of the room until the lynx asked, "What's your name?"

"I'm Maximus. But everyone calls me Max."

"My name's Hachiko."

After he heard the lynx's name called out, Max said, "I hope we meet again."

"Don't bother making promises you can't keep." Hachiko stated, looking at the wall.

Max sighed at this and he just walked away, but not before saying, "Guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

After Max left, Hachiko started thinking about how Max was still there for him and no matter how many times he's pushed him away, he's not one to give up and he whispered, "Maximus...that guy really believes in me."

* * *

We meet this lynx cat again in another chapter!


	5. About Hachiko

Little info about Hachiko here...

* * *

Chapter 5: About Hachiko

After Max left the room, he saw Mrs. Fay and Mako standing in front of him and he said to them, "Hey, guys."

"Maximus...I never thought anyone would come into Hachi's room." Ms. Fay stated.

Max figured out that she was talking about the lynx cat orphan and he lets out a big sigh and replied, "I guess that makes me the first one. I don't know...there was something inside of me that wanted to help him out because I know that feeling."

"Like...there was no hope of having a family?" asked Mako.

Max froze for a second and he nodded his head in response to that and Mako got down to his level and said, "I think I can see where you're going with this. You were the same way when I first met you except you didn't push me away or anything like that. You just allowed me in."

"I wish there's something I can do to help him." Max added.

Mako could see Max's desire to help him out and he pats Max's back and he said, "Why don't you go find your brothers?"

Max nods his head and he walks another way to catch up with Samurai, Tae Kwan Do and Po while Mako and Ms. Fay watched him go and Ms. Fay said, "Hachiko has been here for 6 years now and he was originally from Japan until he came to China on a crate floating by the river. Since then, he's been picked on and tormented by the kids here...particularly with the older ones because he's a lynx cat. It's been especially hard for him to have a family because since he never comes out, no family has really come to adopt him. It just worries me a lot...including this time of year."

Mako felt deeply sorry for the kid and as he looked at the door and sees Hachiko curled up in a wall, his heart broke hard for him and he blinked his eyes a few times and he looks at Ms. Faye and said, "I wish there's something I can do to help."

Ms. Faye takes a deep sigh and he said, "No one could help him because he always shuts people out."

Mako walks this way and he said, "Maybe I can be of help. I think he needs a family, but doesn't know how he can adapt to a new family."

"If anyone is capable of helping a child, I know it is you, Mako." Ms. Faye added.

"And maybe Max can help too." Mako stated.

Ms. Faye smiled at this and she's hoping for the best for Hachiko and she said, "Think you and the others can come tomorrow?"

"No problem. We're all here to help out in any way for this holiday season." Mako answered.

Meanwhile

Soon enough on the front of the orphanage, Samurai, Tae Kwan Do, Logan, Max, Bakari, Isaiah, Duke and Po got together to do some dancing to entertain the orphans and make their day a lot better and Max and Po were the leaders of their dancing skills and as the kids took it all in, Mako couldn't help but see them having fun and he lets out a smile and said, "Leave it up to Max and the Dragon Warrior to have fun with the kids."

After they were done, all the kids were cheering for both Po and Max and as they took their bows, Po said, "Thank you guys at the orphanage! You guys rock!"

Minutes later, everyone was leaving the orphanage and soon after that, Samurai looks at Po and he said, "Hey, Po. I know you have that fancy dinner thing at the Jade Palace that you and Tigress are hosting, but do you think you can have dinner with us? Just for the holidays."

When it comes to Po and his love of food, it's difficult to resist and he said, "Oh, I don't know, Sam."

"Aw, come on. You don't have to think about it." Samurai said.

"Darn right, I won't. When is it?" Po asked.

Samurai chuckled softly and replied, "Whenever you get that hosting duty out of the way, you'll be the first to know."

"I'll be there." Po added.

Just then, in comes Tigress, Monkey and Viper coming by the front of the orphanage and Mako said, "Hey, guys."

"Hello, Mako." Viper said, smiling.

"So...what brings you guys over here?" asked Tae Kwan Do.

"Master Shifu wanted to let Po know that he has to start prepping for the feast coming in a few days and he needs a list for all the food he'll make." Monkey answered.

"What kind of list?" asked Po.

"Things to prepare for all the foods." Tigress answered.

Tigress hands Po the list and as he scrolled down, he can see that there's a lot and he replied, "No problem."

"And I'm going with you to buy all of these ingredients." Tigress answered.

"Do you even have the holiday spirit?" asked Max.

Tigress turned to Max and lets out a warning snarl to let him know that she's not in the mood for that and Mako said, "Be nice."

"Yes, baba." Max replied.

"So...why are you at the orphanage to start off?" asked Tigress.

Samurai clears his throat and replied, "It's our new Bushido-Akio tradition at the Valley of Peace. My dad likes to brighten the orphans' day since it is the holiday season. In addition to his volunteer work at the Bao Gu Orphanage, he loves to mentor kids and encourage kids to be anything they want to be and he's helped adopt many kids."

Tigress was a little curious about why Mako would give his time away to help out those kids and she said, "Did he really?"

"You don't believe it? I dare you to come to the orphanage and see what he does." Logan stated.

Po clears his throat before something spills out that could spell doom for the holidays and he said, "Okay, guys...not in front of the kids please."

"I'll come." Tigress added.

"And Po's gonna spend the majority of the week helping and volunteering with us...if that's all right with you." Mako added.

Po smiled and said, "Maybe when I take a little break from the hosting duties."

"Fair enough." Samurai added.

* * *

Stick around to see more!


	6. More Volunteer Work

Second day of total volunteer work! It's how the Bushido-Akio's do!

* * *

Chapter 6: More Volunteer Work

By the next day, Mako and Reiko brought back Max, Samurai, Tae Kwan Do, Logan, Duke, Max, Bakari and Isaiah along with Musaki, Arizona, Sage, Phoenix, and Yow-Ni as they returned to Bao Gu Orphanage and Sage was none too happy about going there and he asked, "What do I have to come along?"

"Because we want to show you the reality of what these kids are wanting more than anything." Mako answered.

"Look, I don't do this kind of stuff...so why should we even be involved?" asked Yow-Ni.

Arizona looks at Sage in the eye and snarled at both him and Yow-Ni and said, "Drop the attitude, for once. This is the holidays after all and we're all in this together."

"Well spoken, Arizona." Musaki added.

As they entered in the orphanage, Ms. Fay was excited to see them again with some added extra help as well as a familiar face and she said, "Musaki! How are you?"

"Doing really well. You?" asked Musaki.

"Still hanging in there." Ms. Faye replied.

Musaki nodded his head and suddenly...Ms. Faye couldn't help but notice something different about Musaki and he asked, "Have you gotten older and handsome?"

That comment made Musaki blush a little as he received chuckles from everyone else and Musaki answered, "I might have."

"You've grown up. And I'm amazed to see how you're doing really well." Ms. Faye stated.

Max elbowed Musaki and he said, "I think Ms. Faye likes you."

Musaki immediately changed the subject and he clears his throat and said, "Hope you don't mind having extra volunteers today."

"Oh, please." Ms. Faye said, letting them in.

Soon enough, Arizona, Musaki, Phoenix and Samurai were doing some volunteer work at the orphanage by decorating the trees and serving food for the children while Max, Duke, Bakari, Isaiah, Tae Kwan Do and Logan making art with the kids, but Logan was more focused on Amber as he saw her paint and Logan quickly turned to Tae Kwan and asked, "Does my hair look okay?"

"Yeah, why do you care?" asked Tae Kwan.

Max looks up and sees Amber doing some painting and he said to Tae Kwan, "Take a wild guess."

Tae Kwan sees Amber and he could tell that Logan has a crush on her and he lets out a small chuckle and said, "You really need some help with girls."

"Come on. Me and Amber are just students at MMA class. No biggie." Logan said, trying to be cool.

"That's not what you said when I read your journal last night." Max said, snickering.

Suddenly, Logan's ears drooped down the minute he found out Max read Logan's journal and Tae Kwan was interested to hear the details and he said to Max, "What did he write?"

"Don't even say it." Logan said, in an embarrassed yet serious tone.

"He said...that he would rather be her boyfriend instead of that buff guy at MMA class." Max answered.

Tae Kwan snickered and Logan responded with a low growl and Tae Kwan said, "You got it bad...in a good way."

* * *

Stick around to see Hachiko again!


	7. Two Orphans

Instead of one orphan...why not add two?

* * *

Chapter 7: Two Orphans

Soon enough, Max wanders around the hallways of the orphanage a little bit to find Hachiko and see how he's doing and as he was walking, his ears perked up some footsteps and he turned around to see who was following him, but he heard nothing afterwards and just simply brushed it off and continued on his way and when he finally made it to Hachiko's room, he opens the door and said, "Hey. Are you here?"

As Max came in the room, he tiptoed silently...hoping to find him there, but he received a huge surprise when someone out of nowhere pinned him down and placed him in the wall with his paws on Max's shoulders and as Max looked up, he saw this young mountain lion; between 10 or 11, dark blue-orange eyes with a little mohawk on the top of his head and the mountain lion lets out a snarl and asked, "Who are you?"

"I-I'm Max. Maximus Bushido-Akio."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat you up for making fun of Hachiko." the mountain lion snarled.

Max rose his paws and he said, "You got it all wrong. I'm not a bully."

"Look, Maximus Bushido-Akio...if you think for one second you're gonna take advantage of my best friend, you're gonna receive an unpleasant gift for the holidays. My claws on your face." the mountain lion threatened.

"Mokani!"

Then, Max turned around and saw Hachiko standing there and Max said, "You know this guy?"

"Yeah. It's okay, Mokani. He means no harm." Hachiko replied.

Then, Mokani looks at Max for a second and he lets him go for now and he said to the cub, "Sorry about that. Killer instinct."

"It's cool. So...you're an orphan too?" asked Max.

Mokani rose his eyebrow after that question and he turned to Max and replied, "And what kind of question is that?"

"I used to be an orphan here three years ago." Max replied.

That surprised both feline cubs and Hachiko asked, "You used to be an orphan? Get out of here."

"No, I'm serious. I came here when I was six and I got adopted a few months later by this big family. It's literally the best thing ever." Max answered.

Soon, Max realizes that what he just said kinda caused Mokani and Hachiko to be a little sad and he quickly apologized to them and Mokani said, "Whatever, man. It doesn't matter anyway."

"What do you mean?" asked Max.

"We're not good enough to be in a family or any family. You think anyone would take in a mountain lion and a lynx cat? That's just not happening. They want cuter kids; a duck, pig, bunny rabbits...not freak cats like us." Hachiko answered.

Max felt his heart bleeding for these guys and he said, "That's not true."

"How do you know that?" asked Hachiko.

"You guys are good enough to be in any family that will take you in. It really doesn't matter who it can be." Max answered.

He was unaware that Mako and Po were listening in and as they heard Max talk and encourage them, it definitely sets an idea for Mako to make sure they're adapted to a new home and Po couldn't be any more excited and happy for Max becayse he knows he's not like anyone else who's been through some hardships and manage to put a smile on his face for it.

"How does Max do it?" asked Po.

Mako turned to Po and asked, "Do what?"

"For a guy who suffered a lot in his life and smiles about it like it's nothing...it's mind-blowing to me." Po answered, in awe.

Mako sighed in response and he said, "I ask myself that same question all the time. But this boy has a pure heart of gold and it's like he keeps all of us going. Not many kids who have been molested by their parents, tortured by wolves and got picked on by bullies live to tell about it and survive with a smile on his face. But I guess the majority of it was I taught him to be positive and optimistic when he first lived here."

Po totally commended Mako for Max's current state and he said, "You're a good father."

"Thanks, Po. That means a whole lot coming from you. It's like...Max teaches me more than I teach him how to be a man and a leader." Mako added.

Po couldn't argue with that...though Tigress' opinion might differ and he said, "I wish this guy was my brother."

Mako was more interested on how to help these two orphans Max is talking to and he said, "I think I wanna adopt these two."

"Adopt? Mako, don't you already have like 10,000 kids?" asked Po, really baffled.

"It's 50-plus, Po. I'm willing to add a few more if I have to. It's like what Max says...these two need a family. I'll invite Hachiko and Mokani to my house for the holidays and then...maybe by Christmas, their visit will be permanent." Mako stated.

Po was completely amazed by the idea and he said, "That is awesome."

"But it has to be a surprise." Mako reminded him.

Po totally got the message straight away and both of them walked out of the room with warm, kindred hearts together and Po asked, "Can I adopt Max?"

"Don't push it, Po." Mako said, sternly.

* * *

You can actually see the bond between Mako and Po...almost like another member of the Bushido-Akio family. Stay tuned to see if Mako's plan works again!


	8. Amazing Volunteering

The Bushido-Akio's at the holidays wouldn't be complete without volunteer work.

* * *

Chapter 8: Amazing Volunteering

Afterwards, Po went with Arizona, Musaki, Phoenix, Yow-Ni and Sage to help with this Jade Palace dinner and Arizona asked, "How did you and Tigress get assigned to be hosts?"

"I have no idea. But to be honest, Tigress is like stressing over the most little details. Like...she wants everything to look perfect." Po answered.

"I think she's focused on her stress and anxiety and struggle for perfection rather than the actual event." Musaki stated.

"That's Tigress." Po added.

Phoenix chuckled softly and he said, "That's why we're here to help...to take the biggest load off of Tigress' back."

Sage and Yow-Ni didn't seem too happy about this and they were just complaining through the stairs and as they finally made it to the inside of the Jade Palace, Musaki could tell that everything's looking too much tip-top shape and he said, "Looks like the ambience has been overdone."

Soon, Po caught up with Tigress and he said, "Hey, hope you don't mind that we brought in some extra hands."

Tigress turns to see Musaki, Arizona, Phoenix, Yow-Ni and Sage standing there and she was completely disturbed that Sage and Yow-Ni are there and she said, "Can these two just leave? I'd rather take Arizona, Musaki and Phoenix to help."

"Cool with us. We're out." Sage said.

"Get back here." Arizona said, through clenched teeth.

Phoenix turned to Tigress and he said, "Our dad told us bthey should come to get some hard work done and he told me to tell you to place them in line."

Suddenly, Tigress seemed interested to place Sage and Yow-Ni in line and she said, "That's fine."

Soon enough, Crane comes in there and he said to both Po and Tigress, "Did you invite some of Musaki's other cousins in the palace?"

"No, why?" both asked in unison.

They all turned around and saw Cody, Tsunami, Dakota, Madison, Jared, Zoey, Luna, Bang, Crash, Chad, Cheyenne and the rest of them plus Sierra and Summer up for volunteering and Dakota asked, "So...what do you guys need help with?"

Po and Tigress were stunned at this, but at the same time...Po completely accepted it and said, "Looks like we got a full set of helping hands here."

"Un...be...lievable." Tigress said, still in shock.

* * *

You'll see how it goes on the next chapter!


	9. Volunteering at the Jade Palace

And this is how the Bushido-Akio's help out for the preparations of the Jade Palace holiday event.

* * *

Chapter 9: Volunteering at the Jade Palace

Throughout the day, Musaki, Phoenix, Arizona, Kango and Tsunami assisted in every which way possible to set up the event; from decorating, clean-up and ice sculpturing the dragon while Po, Cody, Summer, Sierra, and Luna helped with the cooking and as Tigress was working Sage and Yow-Ni hard to the bone, she was still shocked by how much assistance she's receiving from Musaki and his clan. On one hand, she felt kinda guilty for letting them work when they could be out celebrating the holidays and let her handle all of it...but at the same time, it kinda takes a few burdens off her back to know that the rest of them could handle setting it up.

Sage comes in with mounds of plates and bowls on his paw and he asked, "And where do you want this?"

"Just put them on the kitchen. Do not break them...otherwise I will break your face." Tigress replied, adding the last part with a growl.

Sage growls back at her as he placed them delicately on the table and he panted heavily and wiped the sweat off of his brow and asked, "Is that all now? I feel like I've been working my ass off for two freaking hours."

"Do not use such language in my prescence." Tigress said.

Then, Yow-Ni comes in with 12 boxes of chopsticks and puts them down on the table, further from the plates and after he sets them down, Yow-Ni said, "My body isn't used to hard work."

"Perhaps because you've never worked a day in your life. Your dad put me in charge of you two...so get used to it." Tigress answered, with a smirk on her face.

"Is there anything else? My bones feel like noodles." Sage said, dreading more work.

That word spurred Po's interest as soon as he, Cody, Tsunami, Sierra, Summer and Luna entered the kitchen and Po said, "Did someone say noodles?"

"Hey, Tigress." Luna said, smiling.

"Hey, Ti...mind if we use the kitchen? We've got all the delivered boxes of food." Po stated.

Tigress nodded in approval and and told Sage and Yow-Ni to follow her and the two wolves were not so happy with it as they followed her and everyone prepped in the kitchen and with a major surprise...Samurai comes in and said, "Is there room for one noodle maker here?"

"Always room, Sammy." Po said, smiling.

As Tigress brought in Sage and Yow-Ni back to the palace, she was stunned to see another half of the Bushido-Akio clan come in to help and it was like she couldn't wrap her mind around how much of the Bushido-Akio's are willing to assist and Mako saw Tigress walk by and he said, "Hello, Tigress."

"Mako...what are you doing here? You shouldn't have to do this." Tigress said.

"We didn't have to. We wanted to." Mako added.

Soon enough, Reiko brought in K.C., Panko and Banzai to her and she said, "Whip these boys to work."

"Are you serious?" Banzai said, in disbelief.

Tigress had no problem with handling the rest of them and she started thinking to herself, 'Maybe this will be a good idea. Still, they didn't have to come here and help us.'

As the evening progresses, everything seemed to be in tip-top shape and as the family were ready to leave, Master Shifu came by to them and said, "If I had known you'd all pitch in, we probably would never have gotten ready this quick."

"Well...let's just say we love to volunteer and help others. That's the Bushido-Akio family tradition; amongst all others." Mako stated.

Master Shifu smiled at that and said, "All in all, thank you for your assistance."

Mako respectfully bowed back and replied, "It's our pleasure. We might even have to come back tomorrow if you like."

Tigress wanted to decline, but Po immediately beat her to it and said, "Sure. That would be awesome if you guys kept volunteering."

"All right then. See you all tomorrow." Mako said, with a smile.

The rest of the kids felt totally satisified that they were willing to devote their time to assist in the Jade Palace to help out their event and while most of the masters were fine with that, Tigress felt guilty and a little bit upset that they took the time to volunteer without even asking and Po could sense that in an instant and he said, "Hey, it's all good, Ti."

"But why us? They didn't even ask if they wanted to help us. We could've had it done in 3 days." Tigress added.

"They didn't have to ask. Knowing them, they were more than willing to help us out. I think it made the whole process go smooth. And besides...we're ahead of schedule." Po stated.

Tigress froze for a second after Po received the list of all the tasks they were gonna do and half of those were already completed early and they still have 7 more to go and she was in shock over that and Po walked back inside, leaving Tigress in a state of realization that it was all knocked down in 4 hours.

'They really did it.' Tigress thought.

* * *

Tigress couldn't really believe the Bushido-Akio's actually pitched in. I wanted to make her think that maybe they didn't need their help and that her and Po would be better off handling it on their own, but the Bushido-Akio's selfless acts did the talking. Stay tuned for more!


	10. Home for the Holidays

And this is where Hachiko and Mokani are staying...at the Bushido-Akio house!

* * *

Chapter 10: Home for the Holidays

After the volunteer work, Mako came back to the orphanage and picked up both Hachiko and Mokani as they followed him back to his house, but fear and anxiety were inside both feline cubs' minds, thinking that it might not last long and that they were gonna be back at the orphanage sooner or later and Hachiko asked, "So...how long we're gonna stay?"

"As long as you guys want." Mako replied.

When they heard that from Mako, hopes were a little high...but they also have a feeling of disappointment that it might not be longer, but as they went in the house...they never expected it to look exactly like this before and their eyes widened up like they stepped into a new world and Mokani whispered, "Wow..."

"Pretty amazing, huh?" asked Mako.

"I've never seen anything like this before." Hachiko stated.

Soon enough, Max meets up with them along with Bakari, Isaiah and Duke and Isaiah said, "It's awesome, huh? We had that same reaction when we first came here."

"I was 7, Isaiah was 6 and Bakari was 5." Duke pointed out.

"And how old are you guys now?" asked Mokani.

"I'm 8, Isaiah's 7 and Bakari just turned 6." Duke answered.

Hachiko blinked his eyes a few times at the sight of the place and he said, "You think we'll be okay here? I have a feeling we might go back."

Max could tell that as amazed that they're gonna stay with them, he could sense the fear of them going back to Bao Gu any day and he looks at them and said, "Don't worry about it. My dad will make sure that doesn't happen."

"How can you be sure?" asked Mokani, in disbelief.

"You have to trust my dad." Samurai said, walking past them.

It was the last thing both of them wanted to do is trust someone they barely know, but they know that the purpose of it is just to be good and then Samurai said, "Most of the adopted kids that live her were nervous about fitting in our family too. Mostly because it's so big. But don't worry, you guys. You'll fit in just fine."

"You guys can hang with us in our room if you want." Max stated.

At Max's room

Max was hanging with Mokani and Hachiko; participating in some of their fun and both of them wanted to have fun for once instead of worrying so much and Mokani asked, "How do you share a room with your brothers?"

"Not that easy." Max answered.

"We share this room for one year and we kinda like to bug each other a lot." Isaiah answered.

"We call it our ruckus room." Duke stated.

Hachiko rose his eyebrow in response and he said, "Why do you guys call it a ruckus room?"

"Funny you should ask." Duke added, with a smile.

With that, Duke pounced on Max while Isaiah and Bakari dog-piled on him as well and they gave each other noogies and wrestling and many things. Mokani didn't really think that was possible that they were having fun and Max said, "It's what we do...sometimes."

After that, Max went over to them and he said, "I have a feeling you guys might be the next ones."

With that, he gave both Hachiko and Mokani some noogies and they were laughing with each other and soon, Reiko came in and said, "All right, boys. Let's all settle down and get some rest."

"Yes, mama."

* * *

I'm pretty sure they'll catch on soon. Stay tuned!


	11. Adjusting with the Bushido Akio's

We see the orphans having to get to know the huge family of the Bushido-Akio's.

* * *

Chapter 11: Adjusting with the Bushido-Akio's

By the next morning, Max, Bakari, Duke, Isaiah, Hachiko and Mokani were asleep in Max's room and as the heard the morning gong sounding, they knew that it was time to get up...except for Duke, Bakari and Mokani because they were very heavy sleepers and soon enough, Luna comes in the room and she said, "Wake up, guys."

Max slowly opened his eyes, then he lets out a big yawn and scratches his back after getting out of bed, completely sluggish and exhausted but eager to see what's in store today and everyone else got up as well and when they left Max's room, Mokani asked, "Where's your bathroom?"

"I think you have a better chance of using my dad's bathroom. Sage or Yow-Ni hogs the bathroom every morning at 6:30." Max answered.

Mokani rubbed the sand from his eyes and asked, "Where is your dad's bathroom?"

"Third room from the right when you walk past Phoenix's room." Max answered.

Soon after, Mokani made his way to Mako's bedroom to find the bathroom and as soon as the others made it, they saw Samurai, Phoenix and Logan standing in line and Max said, "Morning, guys."

"Hey, Max." Logan said.

"Let me guess, Sage?" asked Duke.

Samurai sighed heavily in response and asked, "Not this time. Sage is sleeping in. It's Yow-Ni."

Logan wasn't one for waiting around and he pounded on the door and said, "How long are you gonna be here, Yow? It doesn't take you an hour to take a dump, you know!"

"Too bad! You snooze, you (bleep)ing lose!" Yow-Ni exclaimed, on the other side of the door.

Samurai looked at the other younger kids and he told them, "You guys didn't even need to hear that."

Just then, Arizona comes out of his room and sees everyone standing at the bathroom and he said, "You can use mine and Musaki's bathroom."

The rest of them wasted no time in going to both bathrooms and Phoenix, Duke, Bakari and Logan used Musaki's while Max, Hachiko, Isaiah and Samurai used Arizona's; each of them either doing number one or two, brushing their teeth, washing their faces and taking a shower. While at Arizona's bathroom, Hachiko was a little curious as to how it always has been and he asked Max, "Does this happen often?"

"When you're in this house, plenty stuff happens." Max answered.

Later in the morning, everyone came to the dining room to get some breakfast and Mokani was surprised as to how many people are actually sitting at the table for breakfast and he never thought things like that were possible and as he sat down, he could see everyone there. Reiko comes over with the babies and she sets them down in individual baby seats and kissed them on the forehead and tickled under their chins to hear them giggle.

"Are those babies adopted?" asked Hachiko.

"Nah. Mom gave birth to them." Shinoda replied.

Just then, Mako and Cody served up some ginormous food to fit everyone's palate; kung-pao chicken, rice, potato pancakes and several other breakfast foods and as they passed it around on each table, everyone started digging in on the food. Reiko was looking forward to see what's gonna happen on the agenda today and she asked, "Mako...what have we all got to do today?"

"Well, we know we're gonna do some holiday shopping to see what everyone would like to have this year; me and Cody are gonna head to the orphanage to do some volunteer work and we're all going back to the Jade Palace to continue helping out Po and Tigress." Mako replied.

"Uh...can we talk?" Sage asked.

"You're not talking your way out of this, Sage. We're all going and that's it." Mako stated.

Sage lets out a frustrated grunt and slouched down on the chair and Mako turned to Samurai and asked, "You got anything for work, Sam?"

"Nah. I'm off for the entire holidays." Samurai replied.

"Perfect. We all meet at the Jade Palace by 1:00 today." Mako stated.

Soon enough, they received a little visit from one of their friends from the Jade Palace and said, "What up, Bushido-Akio's? Kiba Toshida's here!"

Everyone greeted Kiba as he came here and Max couldn't help but resist greeting him and he said, "Kiba!"

"Maxie boy! How are you, my little dude?" Kiba said, happily.

Both of them fist-bumped and high fived each other and got a huge hug from him and Max replied, "Pretty good."

Soon, Kiba noticed Max was growing a little bit and he said, "Whoa...have you grown a little taller?"

"Since dinner last night." Cody stated.

"K-dawg! What up?" Phoenix exclaimed.

Kiba chuckled softly and said, "Hanging good, Phoenix Fire!"

Both of them gave each other a bro hug and laughed with each other and Tsunami chuckled at this and said, "I have no idea why you guys are best friends."

"Hey, we can kick it." Phoenix replied.

Mako chuckled softly and offered Kiba to sit with the others for a little bit of breakfast and Kiba rightfully obliged to accept it as he sat down between Max and Phoenix as he received a huge plate of breakfast right in front of him and proceeded to eat. Zoey chuckled in response and said, "You like to eat, don't ya?"

"Not as much as Ryo." Kiba responded.

"Hey, we're all coming back to the Jade Palace to help out the preparations for the event they're doing." Cody stated.

"Aw, cool. Po told me about what you guys did yesterday and I got mad respect for you guys. Tigress...wasn't so much cool with it. She was a little upset anf somewhat guilty for letting you guys help her out as well." Kiba responded.

Logan sighed at that and he said, "It's not like we didn't have to take over. We were just easing a lot of burdens off of her and Po."

"I know. And I applaud you guys for it. It's just not good enough for Tigress when someone else helps her out." Kiba stated.

"Well...don't worry about that because we're coming back anyway." Mako stated.

Kiba smiled at this and said, "This is why I like you guys a lot. I wish I can be a part of your family."

* * *

I thought I would add Kiba onto the mix and began thinking...what if Kiba and Phoenix were tight? Like best friends? Stay tuned for the second helping of their volunteer work at the Jade Palace!


	12. Added Volunteer

More volunteers are in the building!

* * *

Chapter 12: Added Volunteer

1:00 pm

All of the Bushido-Akio's walked all the way up the steps of the Jade Palace to continue helping out with setting up the event for the masters and as they almost made it up the steps, Mokani and Hachiko got to the top first and they saw Master Shifu standing in front of the doors and both of them weren't sure to make of the grandmaster and Mokani tilted his head to the right as he stared at him and Shifu asked, "Can I help you?"

Mokani's focus was on his ears and he rose his eyebrow in response and asked, "Why do you have weird ears?"

Shifu's eyebrows were raised and asked, "I beg your pardon?"

Just then, Max, Samurai and Phoenix came behind them and Samurai said, "Sup, Master Shifu. We're here for more volunteering."

Shifu chuckled in response to that and he said, "Where's everyone else?"

"They'll be here any minute." Phoenix replied.

Max then introduced Mokani and Hachiko to Master Shifu and suddenly, the two feline cubs were stunned to learn that it's Master Shifu and Mokani chuckled softly and said, "Forgive me for calling you weird, master."

"It's perfectly fine." Shifu replied.

Soon enough, the rest of the Bushido-Akio's clan arrived in full force and Mako said, "We're here, Shifu."

"I hope you don't mind that we brought in some extra hands today." Reiko stated.

And with that, in comes Oak Sung and Okinawa coming by and Oak Sung looked at Shifu with a smile and said, "Hello, Shifu."

"Oak Sung. Always a pleasure to have you in our palace." Shifu said, bowing to him.

Okinawa smiled and he said, "Thought I'd come here for the holidays. My grandfather thought it'd be awesome to spend a few days here and get to know Musaki a little more."

"Well..you're always welcome here, Okinawa. Come on in." Shifu said, letting all of them in the palace.

* * *

And you won't believe who else would show up!


	13. Help Expansion

And the assistance grows...

* * *

Chapter 13: Help Expansion

As soon as the Bushido-Akio's came in, four of the Furious Five were well above amazed that they're back to help out once again and Viper looked at everyone and she was completely blown away that Oak Sung came back in the palace and she said, "Master Oak Sung...what a surprise."

Oak chuckled in response and said, "Master Viper...just call me Oak."

Musaki could tell that Viper was still a little starstruck that his grandfather is back at the palace and he came towards her and said, "They came over to stay with us for a little while and we thought...maybe we can have a few extra hands from Shanghai Secluded Valley."

"That'd be an excellent idea." Shifu said.

Oak smiled at that and he said, "Glad to hear you say that, Shifu."

Almost immediately, in comes Shin Hai, Shao, Liu Shang, Sapphire, Taji and some of Okinawa's friends coming in for a helping hand and all they could do is just gape their mouths in awe at the size of the community coming in to help them and Monkey said, "Whoa..."

"So...?" asked Okinawa.

Shifu became completely amazed by how much they're willing to help and he said, "Very well then."

It didn't take long until Po and Tigress walked inside the palace and they could hear them debate about the help they received yesterday, not knowing they're actually there and Oak blinked his eyes a few times after hearing them argue about it.

"I'm saying that it takes the load off of our backs so we wouldn't have to do too much. You should thank them instead of saying they shouldn't have to help us." Po stated.

"But I still feel like I could've done more and we could've done it on the actual event today, Po! It feels like we're being lazy!" Tigress argued.

"Tigress..." Crane stated.

Both of them turned to the other masters and also...the rest of the Bushido-Akio family as well as residents from Shanghai Secluded Valley standing in front of them and they could not believe the numbers of them coming by and Po said, "Whoa...with any luck, those duties should be done today."

Oak Sung greeted both of them and said, "I see you're all in a need of assistance to get your events together."

"No, we're fine. We can handle it ourselves." Tigress added.

"Actually...that won't be necessary. Master Shifu allowed them to let them help us." Viper stated.

Tigress twitched her eye in annoyance that Shifu allowed them to help them, but Po immediately said..."It's no problem."

"What?!" Tigress shouted.

Shifu then came back and he said to both Po and Tigress, "Let's let the Bushido-Akio's help you all with the tasks. Both of you will assist each of them in anyway possible. And Tigress...I heard about your unsatisfactory yesterday. Just let them assist you in any way further."

"But Master Shifu..." Tigress started, then got cut off by Shifu.

"End of discussion. Someday, you will appreciate what they did for you and Po. And of course...it is the holidays after all." Shifu finished.

Then, he turns to the others and he said, "I'll put you in groups. The first half will assist Po, second half with Tigress, third half with the Five."

And with that, the first half of the group assisted with prepping up meals with Po and with Samurai, Okinawa, Logan, Max, Musaki, Arizona, Taji, Shao and Tae Kwan Do assistance, they got most of it done in less than 2 hours and during that time, Po was geeked out to do any work with Oak Sung because he had looked up to him...amongst other kung-fu masters and Oak had no problem with being admired, but remains humble as possible.

The second half of the group assisted Tigress with everything done with decorations and the ambiance of the festival and although she was completely bitter about the assistance she unexpectedly required, she could handle putting Sage, Yow-Ni, Banzai, K.C. and Panko in charge of what they do while Shin Hai, Liu Shang, Cody, Tsunami, Mako and Phoenix brought everything else in and set it down on the ground and commenced with the task of putting it all together.

As Tigress was set to make sure it goes into tip-top shape, most of them handled it that quick and could take a second to make sure if it's in the right direction or not and some of them fixed it up and as soon as Tigress looked on, she could tell that they're giving up their time to help Po and Tigress set it up together. But she still had a hard time accepting that help and would rather deal with Po than letting Musaki's clan help out.

And to her surprise, the entire place was decorated in under an hour and she stood there stunned by how it came out to be and how elegant and perfect it looked. Liu Shang looked at Tigress and asked, "So...whatcha think?"

"It looks...perfect." Tigress said, still shocked.

And the third half of the group assisted in setting the china plates, chopsticks and setting up everything on the table with the Furious Five and placed them together in less than an hour and soon afterwards, Master Shifu looked at everything and they seem to fit perfectly well and he was always surprised by what the Bushido-Akio's do for volunteer work and it shows really well.

Soon afterwards, Po and Tigress looked at the list of everything that was tasked and half of the first ones were completed and as for the rest of them...it's all done. Tigress was still shocked while Po was blown away and it took time for Tigress to let it all sink in to realize that it's all been done and taken care of.

"They actually did it." Tigress whispered.

Shifu looked at everyone else and he said, "Very done to all of you and my students. This event will surely be one to remember and we deeply appreciate you taking the time to help us out."

"Consider it our way of helping out on the holidays." Mako added.

"And because of that, you're our honorary guests for this event." Shifu stated.

Mako was deeply amazed by this and he said, "Why, thank you Shifu."

Soon afterwards, the masters expressed a huge 'thank you' for all their help and after they left, it was a huge relief for Po and Tigress to see that their tasks have already been done by someone's help and Tigress can finally admit when she's wrong and Po totally said, "I called it."

* * *

Not bad, huh? Sometimes you have to have a little extra help for the holidays. Stay tuned for more!


	14. Places for the Holiday

And the rest of the Shanghai Secluded Valley citizens come to stay with the Bushido-Akio's at the Valley of Peace for the holidays!

* * *

Chapter 14: Places for the Holiday

As the clan headed back to the house, Oak Sung could tell that things have gotten a lot better since their last visit and he said, "Son...if any house could be that much bigger, it's definitely yours."

"We did a little bit of remodeling to expand our house." Mako answered.

Taji whistled in response to that and he said, "Man, you got a big house, Mr. Bushido-Akio."

"Thank you, Taji." Mako stated.

Soon enough, most of Musaki's friends came over to his room and Okinawa came by and he was also amazed by the size of this room and he said, "How long have you lived here?"

"Since my 18th birthday." Musaki answered.

Okinawa sat down on Musaki's bed and Musaki sat down as well and he said, "Looks like you're doing quite well for yourself, Saki."

Musaki chuckled in response to that and he said, "Thanks, Oki. You know, it's really awesome that you're here at the Valley of Peace."

"Yep. I wanna spend my first holiday with you and we can actually celebrate together." Okinawa answered.

"Where's Zeke?" asked Musaki.

"Right here!"

Suddenly, Zeke pops up and they immediately embrace each other with a huge hug and Okinawa joined in on the hug as well and it was completely amazing; three panda brothers together for the holidays and Musaki said, "Man, I wish mom and dad were here to see this."

"All three of us together." Okinawa added.

* * *

Brotherly love...that's so cool. Stay tuned for more!


	15. Extended Family

And the orphans get to see how this family functions.

* * *

Chapter 15: Extended Family

As Okinawa and most of his friends settle themselves in Mako's place, Max hangs around with Mokani and Hachiko and the two felines were still not sure what to make of this family and considering the fact that they were volunteering at the Jade Palace made them wonder if this could be fate for a family like this; giving and helping others that are in dire need of help. Hachiko looked at Max for a second and asked, "How come you guys volunteered at that palace?"

"We just wanted to help out the kung-fu warriors a little bit. It was nothing we couldn't handle." Max replied.

"But still...do you guys do this every year?" asked Mokani.

"We live for volunteer work. My dad calls it a Bushido-Akio tradition that happens not just the holidays, but all year long. We volunteer at the orphanage, noodle shops and pretty much everything you can ever think of." Max answered.

Both of them could never get those thoughts wrapped around their heads and Max seemed different from all the other adopted kids they came across and Hachiko said, "Bet it's all fun, huh?"

"Yeah, it is. We like making the most of it, but the end result is awesome...knowing that you've helped out someone who's down on their luck or is struggling with something feels good in the end." Max said.

Minutes later, Hachiko was hanging around the room by himself and he started thinking about this family for a while and he figured that they're good people and have huge hearts to give, but in the back of his mind, he's thinkng that he'll be sent back to the orphanage and that's the one major thing he's scared about all the time and always thought about; thinking what if they don't like him or accept him or if he's not good enough for this family. He's been through that line before and he doesn't want to come cross it again.

He lets out a few sighs and asked himself, "Will I ever be good enough for any family? Who would accept me because of everything I have? Or everything I am?"

He's never felt this insecure in his life, but when he takes a look at himself...all he sees are a whole lot of imperfections and flaws that are right in front of him and those thoughts of what the kids at the orphanage said about him and it's like everything they said...it stuck to him in his head as if they're right and as a result...it just really made him feel like he sees a monster inside of him.

"Hachiko?"

Hachiko perked his ears up and sees Samurai standing there and he asked, "What do you want?"

"I just came to see if you're doing okay." Samurai replied.

Hachiko lets out a big sigh and he replied, "I'm fine."

But Samurai sees it a whole lot differently and figures there's something wrong with him and he comes in the room and said, "You wanna talk about it?"

"No, I don't. It's none of your concern." Hachiko stated.

Samurai could tell that there's something wrong with him and is hiding it from him and Sam knows that he can't fool anyone and he said, "All righty. If you say so."

He remained at the side of the bed for a while, knowing fully intent that he's gonna stick around in silence until Hachiko reveals his problem and 5 minutes go by and Hachiko was surprised that Samurai is still there and he finally lets his guard down, turns to Samurai and replied, "I'm scared."

"Scared of what?" asked Samurai.

"Of going back to the orphanage. I always felt like I was never gonna be adopted because I'm a lynx cat. Kids make fun of me because of my black tuft hair on my ears, my short tail and whiskers on my face. And they tell me I'll never have a family because of those things I have. What if they're right? What if I'll never have a family?" Hachiko explained, before breaking down in tears.

Samurai couldn't believe that those were what's bothering him and it just hurts for him to see him so scared and alone at the same time and he said, "That's not true. Everyone's got something and so what if others don't like you for it? You don't have to carry all of this burden on your own and rather than carrying it, you should let someone carry those for you."

"I just don't want to be a burden to anyone." Hachiko said, tearfully.

"And you won't be." Samurai added.

Samurai quickly gave Hachiko a hug and the lynx wanted to shove him off, but the overwhelming embrace overtook him and Hachiko accepted the hug and just cried on Samurai's shoulder and Samurai told him, "A family will adopt you. You just gotta believe in it."

They were unaware that Mokani was watching the whole thing right in front of him and he was tearing up as well and the thought of that shifted a little bit on what he thought before and for the first time...there was hope.

* * *

Nothing like a little encouragement and advice to help Hachiko, but will it help Mokani? Find out next!


	16. Making the Most of It

We now see Arizona and Musaki's perspective on spending their first holiday in their new home.

* * *

Chapter 16: Make the Most of It

Later on, Arizona was standing on the front porch watching the snow fall down and he started thinking about all the things that had happened to him in the past two years and how super appreciative he is for those things to come by; from being rescued from Dai Ling's prison, living at the Jade Palace, having a tiger brother in Max, found himself a girlfriend and now being a part of the Bushido-Akio family and he never thought he would have the life he would have if it wasn't for Musaki.

He lets out a big sigh and reminisced all those good times he had with Musaki and the clan and knowing that he's now living at Mako's place to celebrate the holidays there only added to his amazing new life that he's starting and he just wanted to live every minute of it. Suddenly, in comes Musaki and he sees Arizona standing there and he said, "What you doing out here? You'll like freeze to death."

"I was just thinking. If someone would've told me 10 years ago that I would have the life I have right now; all the good things and have good memories, I would've told them that it's not gonna happen and they're liars." Arizona replied.

Suddenly, Musaki realized he was talking about his past life and how it changed unexpectedly and he said, "And if someone would've told me that I would go on my first solo mission to rescue you, I would've laughed at their faces and said they're butt crazy."

Arizona lets out a chuckle at this and he said, "Life sure has a way of telling you what to expect, don't they?"

"They always do." Musaki answered.

"You know, I really don't know how much I can say thank you for everything you've done for me. I just can't stop saying it long enough because I know how much it kinda gets on your nerves a little bit." Arizona stated.

"Dude, just don't overdo it. I'm just happy I did what I had to do. Who else was supposed to do it?" asked Musaki.

"We've been through a lot together." Arizona added.

They agreed with that and Arizona lets out a big sigh and said, "You know, it's funny. Whenever I see you, I think of you as my panda brother."

"Sometimes I feel the same way because we've been more like brothers than friends. It just made me see that we're like a team; one panda and one wolf together as one to become something awesome. If there's someone that would always have my back, I'm glad it's you." Musaki answered.

Arizona lets out a big smile and he felt the same way and said, "Right back at ya."

Both of them came together for a bro hug and Arizona lets out a few happy whimpers as he hugs Musaki tightly and he said, "And we get to celebrate the holidays with our family."

"Let's make this holiday worth it, dude." Musaki replied, with a smile.

* * *

Let's see how their holiday is gonna be worth it! Stick around for more!


	17. Insecurity and Fear

Soon, we see Mokani with a lot of fear about being adopted and what happens next may surprise you.

* * *

Chapter 17: Insecurity and Fear

Mokani was just walking around parts of the hallways and he just had this feeling that there is a possibility that he and Hachiko will go back to the orphanage after this holiday and he just felt like this was all just an act for them to adopt them, only to go back to the orphanage soon and he still kept his guard up just in case. Despite the fact that Samurai believes in both of them, the thought of going back has eaten him alive and he doesn't want to be tormented and treated the same way Hachiko was.

Soon enough, he comes to Max's room and he only saw Max standing at the window, looking at the snow falling down and he said, "How long will this game last?"

Max perked up his ears and turns to see Mokani standing there and he asked, "What game?"

"Don't act like you don't know, Max. You just want me and Hachiko to come to your place for the holidays and after that, you'll get rid of us." Mokani replied, with a growl in his voice.

Suddenly, Max was taken aback by this and he said, "We would never do that. How would you think that I would...?"

"Shut up! I've been through that position before. One minute, you wanna adopt us...and the next minute, you send us back. Drop us off like trash. That just ain't gonna cut it for us." Mokani exlciamed.

"We'd never intend to do that. That's not what we're about." Max said.

"Look here...if you think we're gonna be played with your adoption tricks, you've got another thing coming. We've been adopted and sent back many times before and I have a feeling that this is gonna be one of those times. We can't take the rejection anymore...so before that happens again, I don't trust you." Mokani snarled.

"How can you not trust me? I'm not here to hurt you at all." Max stated.

"LIAR! Don't you lie to me!" Mokani roared.

"I'm not lying! I swear!" Max exclaimed.

Suddenly, Mokani grabbed him by the vest and pinned him down to the floor, growling angrily and he said, "I don't believe you! We're not going back to the orphanage, you hear me?! We've been through enough as it is and to prove it..."

Mokani puts his claws out and Max looked completely afraid of what could happen to him and the tiger cub said to him, "Listen to me...our family would never ever send any orphan back. We help them get homes and we also adopt them. How else do you think my dad adopted several kids?"

"What's going on here?"

Suddenly, Mako, Samurai, Hachiko, Okinawa, Arizona and Musaki came to Max's room and sees Mokani pinning Max down and Mako said, "Mokani...let him go."

"Why should I listen to you? I know that act. You act like you wnat us, but you really don't. You wanna get rid of us." Mokani replied.

Samurai was a little disturbed to hear this coming from Mokani and said, "Not true at all. How would we get rid of you guys?"

"Hachiko and I have been adopted before multiple times and just when we thought we have a family, we get sent back to the orphanage time after time after time again and I'm freaking sick of it! And we thought this time, it'll be the same thing." Mokani answered.

Most of them were surprised at this, but no one was more surprised than Mako and he had no idea that these guys were adopted before and then sent back again and said, "I had no idea."

"It's actually true. We have been adopted before and have been sent back again. We've had a lot of disappointments, but it's all we're used to." Hachiko admitted.

"You guys do know that it's not happening here, right?" asked Musaki.

"How do you expect to believe us?" asked Mokani, in disbelief.

Musaki came closer to Mokani and told him, "You'll just have to trust us and give us a chance."

Mokani lowered his ears down and said, "I'm not sure."

"Just give it a try. Besides...you may never know unless you give it a shot." Arizona stated.

Hachiko was more than willing to try and he replied, "These are good people here. More so than those that don't want us."

"I'm not making any promises whatsoever...but I'll try." Mokani said.

Max sighed in relief and he said, "Thanks. Can you let me go now?"

Mokani lets him go quickly apologized to Max for pinning him and accusing him of lying and Max quickly accepts it and turns to everyone and apologized to them to which they quickly accepted it and Mako said, "Would you and Hachi like to help us decorate the house?"

"Sure." they both replied.

* * *

Fear and insecurity can make you be so crazy at times. Stick around for more! Hope you have an awesome Christmas Eve!


	18. Fitting In

And the two orphans start to fit in a little bit.

* * *

Chapter 18: Fitting In

Soon afterwards, Hachiko and Mokani helped Samurai and Phoenix decorate the house with traditional Japanese and Chinese holiday knickknacks and decorations to make it more festive and awesomer than ever while Musaki, Arizona and Tsunami decked out every room in the house with lanterns all around and Tsunami said, "This looks good, guys."

"Ain't it?" asked Musaki.

"Very." Tsunami replied.

A few minutes later, everyone gathered around the family room with a few egg rolls and cookies around them as they keep warm and it's like a family type of thing and Hachiko asked, "Is this what you guys do?"

"When the holidays come around. We come together as a family, bundle up together, enjoy ourselves with some food and entertain ourselves." Cody replied.

"Not to mention share stories." Samurai added.

"Oh yeah...those are always the best." Phoenix replied.

Reiko was completely interested in this tradtional and she said, "What kinds of stories?"

"It can be just about anything." Mako replied.

Hachiko went in first and though he seemed reluctant, he wanted to participate in something fun for once and he said, "My story's a little bit of a sad one...it started when I was a kid and I had to deal with the fact that my parents never wanted me. Both my mom and dad never really got along a lot and they'd be in fights and they'd place in the middle...almost as if I have something to do with it. I didn't really know what was going on and I saw them fighting and my father...actually beat my mom up, choked her and slammed her down on the ground multiple times and both of them were killing each other and then...my dad killed my mom and blamed me for being in this world and took his anger directly at me...even trying to harm me while I was asleep. Sometimes I would have nightmares about it and it still haunts me to this day."

Everyone was completely sorrowful for Hachi's rough life and that must've been horrific for him and Mako said, "That is sad."

"What kind of father would do that?" asked Samurai.

"This is what I'm ticked off at the most...guys thought that they'd just make babies and they actually have one and they want nothing to do with it and just end up off the deep end." Zoey stated.

"My story is a lot more sadder than Hachi's. I was born with no family. My parents died when I was a small baby and I have always been alone all my life and I've been through a lot of things that no kid should go through. I've been in 35 different forster homes in my lifetime and it just made me feel like I was miserable and all alone. It's the only thing that I've always known and I was one to be easily teased and picked on. There's only so much I can deal with and it made me feel like I could never amount to anything. All I ever wanted was a family. One that can actually love me and accept me as I am." Mokani finished with a tearful voice.

Mako came close to Mokani and hugged him tightly, causing Mokani to purr softly and Mako said, "And I believe you will have a family. I just know it."

'Maybe sooner than you think.' Musaki thought.

* * *

And you've seen the Bushido-Akio holiday tradition. Stick around for more!


	19. Catching On

We now focus with Musaki, Arizona and their Shanghai Secluded Valley buds.

* * *

Chapter 19: Catching On

After everyone got through with their stories and family fun, Musaki and Arizona were heading to one of the guests rooms where Liu Shang, Shao and Taji were and Liu was the first one to see them come in and he said, "Hey, guys. What's up?'

"Nothing much." Arizona replied, sitting down.

Liu chuckled softly at this and he felt like he was already having fun there and he said, "Saki, I didn't know that your uncle's place was a lot of fun."

"Oh, yeah...many things happen when you're here. Me and Ari have been living here for a few months now. If I had spent my whole teenage years here, that would've been a lot more fun than ever." Musaki stated.

"Just be lucky you're keeping up." Arizona added.

Musaki couldn't argue with that and there were a lot of stuff he should be keeping up on; recapturing most of his youth with his cousins and getting to know more about Okinawa. His whole family heritage definitely needs a lot more reconnecting and memorizing and he chuckled at that and said, "True that."

"I bet you missed living in the Jade Palace." Taji said.

"A little bit, but it was actually the best thing that could ever happen. Don't get me wrong; it was an absolute honor to live side-by-side with the best kung-fu warriors in all of China, train with them, go on dangerous missions with them and things like that. But do I really want to spend the rest of my life doing the same things over and over? I'd much rather spend it getting to know more about my relatives and to do some soul searching on my own." Musaki replied.

"If it was me, I would've stayed there until I was 25 because I would've been fighting side by side with Tigress. Put it that way." Shao added.

Musaki glared at Shao for a few seconds and said, "And she'll kick you to the next dynasty."

"I'm ready to have my butt kicked by her any day of the week." Shao stated.

Arizona scoffed in response and said, "Good luck with that."

"You know...we could be the next generation of the Furious Five. Three wolves, one lion and a panda." Taji added.

All five of them agreed on those particular roles and Liu ended with, "Musaki should be the leader because he's loyal, reliable and always helpful in any way."

"Plus he doesn't have any ego." Arizona stated, giving him a noogie.

"Okay, guys..." Musaki said.

Just then, Okinawa comes in the room and he sees the rest of the guys around and he said, "Sup, guys?"

"Hey, Okinawa." everyone stated.

"So...where's Willow? Why didn't you bring your girlfriend with ya?" Liu asked.

"Yeah, big bro. Why didn't you bring Willow with ya?" asked Musaki.

Okinawa lets out a big sigh and he told the rest of them, "She's going to Thailand to see family for the holidays. Her family's like half Thai."

"Cool." Taji said, wide-eyed.

"So...how does it feel to have Musaki back in the picture, Okinawa?" asked Liu.

Okinawa chuckles softly and he responded on the best way possible, by giving Musaki a noogie and Musaki was laughing all the way through and Okinawa said, "Does that answer your question?"

"Got your point." Taji answered.

"Better make that two brothers if you count Arizona." Musaki stated.

Okinawa looked at Arizona for a few seconds and he lets out a big smile and grabs him by the neck and gave him a super noogie and Taji shouted, "Noogie war!"

Everyone piled on each other and gave each other rounds of noogies and Liu shouted, "1-2-3-4! I declare a noogie war!"

"Okinawa wins!" Musaki exclaimed.

Okinawa laughed at that particular assumption and he said, "I don't know about that."

All of a sudden, all of Okinawa's friends; Liu, Hokkaido, Trey, Seung-Hui, Aang, Zuko, Sokka and Sora joined in for a noogie fest alongside Takeo and just had the best fun they ever had.

"This is gonna be a great holiday." Musaki stated.

* * *

Now how cool is that? A huge family friendship for the holidays. Stay tuned!


	20. Invite

I thought that there would be a good scene between Max and Samurai and sorta get to know them a little bit.

* * *

Chapter 20: Invite

The next day went on and as most of the family took it easy, Max and Samurai were the only ones having breakfast, eating some rice with milk and some kung pao chicken and Samurai asked, "You think you'll try to be on your best behavior when we go to this event at the Jade Palace tonight?"

"Of course." Max replied.

Samurai nodded his head at this and he said, "I know how you get when you and Tigress are in the same atmosphere together. And I know you mean well not to get on her nerves, but I don't know why she doesn't like you."

"Neither do I. It's not like I've done anything to her or something." Max answered.

Samurai sighed at this and as he looked at Max for a second, he soon realizes the real reason why Tigress always had bitter resentment towards him; because he had overcame his horrible early childhood with his birth parents and survived through a lot in his life and came out on the other end with a full turnaround and he considers himself an overcomer with a lot more to give...all while Tigress is still suffering from the demons of her past and never got over it.

"No, you totally haven't. You've always been a good person, Max." Samurai stated.

"Thanks, Sam." Max replied.

Samurai then clears his throat and said, "Well...since I'm off for the holiday, maybe you and I can do something together. Just hang out and things like that until the dinner tonight."

Max smiled in response and said, "I'd love that."

Soon, they hear a knock from the front door and Samurai gets up to answer it and soon enough, he sees Kiba, Po, Hope and Shifu standing there and he said, "Good morning."

"Morning, Samurai. We came to give you and your family an invitation to our holiday event at the Jade Palace tonight." Shifu said.

Sam looked at all the invitations he received and it was close to 60 invites for the entire family and he said, "Whoa...that's a lot of guys must've worked on them all night."

"Actually, it took us 2 hours." Po answered.

Max was beside Samurai's side as he greeted the others and Kiba lets out a big grin and waves at Max and Hope said, "We hope we're not disturbing you guys."

"Nah, you're good. Thanks for the invite." Samurai said, happily.

"You can arrive there at 6:00 tonight and you all can wear holiday attire to go along with the feast." Shifu added.

"We'll be there, Shifu." Samurai replied.

Then, Shifu turned his attention to Max and he said to him, "Maximus...I'll seat you between Kiba and Arizona, so you wouldn't be bothered by Tigress."

"Thanks, Shifu." Max answered.

Soon after, they left and Samurai got all 60-something invitations to the Jade Palace Winter Feast and he said, "Looks like this is gonna be a good dinner."

"Try not to eat too much." Max pointed out.

Samurai rose his eyebrow after Max's comment and he said, "Very funny, Max."

* * *

Stick around to see Max and Samurai bonding!


	21. Hanging with Samurai

And the bonding between Max and Samurai begins!

* * *

Chapter 21: Hanging with Samurai

As the day continues on, Max hung around Samurai and they were engaging in some fun things Max always does with everyone else, including Arizona; such as hide-and-seek, tell jokes, play a couple of guessing games and held a staring contest where Max kept staring into Samurai's eyes without blinking and Samurai stared him back, thinking that he'll win this thing. Max kept staring at him for the longest time without giving up or blinking, but Samurai's chances of trying to beat Max was proven to be impossible as he was sweating a little and eventually trying to hold it off, but he was proven no match for the little cub and just blinked.

"Yeah! I won!" Max exclaimed.

Samurai lets out a deep sigh of frustration and exhaustion as he looked at Max's victory and asked, "How do you not lose?"

"I don't know. I guess it just happens." Max answered.

He looked at Max for a second and couldn't believe that at the age of nine, he actually won a staring contest and he said, "When do you not do anything impressive?"

"That's really hard to say." Max replied.

Samurai didn't like to lose to Max, but always knew when to honor his opponent for standing his ground and he commended Max for doing so and lets out his paw for a handshake, to which Max happily obliged. Samurai then came over to Max and gave him a super noogie to the head and all Max could do is just laugh and giggle while Samurai just laughed.

"I tip my hat off to you, Maximus." Samurai said, bowing to him.

Soon enough, they were hanging out in Samurai's room where Max is on one side of Samurai's belly and as he laid his head there, he hears Sam's heartbeat and he was surprised by how it sounded and Sam asked, "It's pretty big, isn't it?"

"Yeah, you must have a huge heart." Max stated.

"I do. It's one of the joys of being a panda; being big and having a huge heartbeat." Samurai replied.

Max turns to Samurai and just nuzzled his stomach while letting out a soft purr and Samurai just rubbed Max's head and Sam said, "You just may be the most awesome little tiger brother I ever had. You may not know this...but you kinda inspire me."

"I do?" Max asked.

"Yep. It's to always keep going and never stop, no matter what the odds are stacked up against you. I never thought I could actually learn something from you...but even big brothers have to follow a little brother's example. You're that one person that I would aspire to be in every day of my life. Everything you went through...it's like you see that as a way of making you stronger. But you never complain, get angry or let it eat you away. That's why I believe in rising above challenges and you're a huge example of that." Samurai answered.

"Even a bad experience can be a good one if you learn from it." Max added.

"I don't know why Tigress would have anything against you. You're kind, sweet, sensitive, caring, thoughtful, innocent, compassionate, strong and very enthusiastic. A can-do dude with a little tude. I like that about ya." Samurai said, with a smile.

Max chuckled at that and Samurai hugged him deeply and immediately playfully wrestled him while Max wrestled him back, both of them laughing so hard.

"Isn't that sweet? You two playing together."

Both of them turned around and saw Mako standing there and Samurai said, "Hey, dad."

"I'm really surprised that you and Max are spending some time together. But not that surprised because I had always hoped that you'd enjoy Max's company." Mako said, smiling.

"I've enjoyed every single second of it." Samurai stated.

"I'm happy for you two. It's almost time to get ready for the event at the Jade Palace, so you might as well get ready." Mako added.

Soon enough, Max got off of Samurai's back and he turned to him and said, "Thanks for giving me the best day ever."

"You too, little buddy." Samurai added.

They gave each other a fist bump and a hug before Max left the room and Samurai felt like he was deeply inspired by being a better person because of Max and he said, "That's gotta be on my new year's resoultion...try to be a better person. That and lose a few pounds."

* * *

And an awesome big brother moment. Stay tuned to see the event!


	22. Dressed Up

And here's how the Bushido-Akio's dress up.

* * *

Chapter 22: Dressed Up

As the evening begins, almost everyone is all dressed for the event at the Jade Palace and they were in their holiday best to keep themselves warm and elegant and most of the kids were ready to go and Mokani was a little unsure about wearing any elegant outfit for something like this, but Hachiko was a little willing to step out of their comfort zone and try something new for once. He came out with this long sleeved silver vest and some red pants with white stripes and Mokani wore his vest with blue snowflake pants and Reiko couldn't help but see how adorable it looks.

"You two look so cute together." Reiko said, smiling.

"Uh...thanks?" asked Mokani.

Soon, the girls came out with their wonderful outfits, each consisting of the holiday spirit while keeping it classy and elegant at the same time and they're always dressed to impress and Mako said, "Looking excellent, girls."

"Thanks, dad." they replied.

Sage wasn't one who was looking dapper because he's a street guy and he said, "Why do we have to wear this stuff? It looks like I just came out of someone's funeral."

"But you look so elegant." Reiko added.

"I feel weird." Sage stated.

"Well...it's a new side to you, Sage. You have to learn how to be a gentleman. Maybe a cute girl will show up and ask you out." Mako added.

That thought entered Sage head, but thought of it in a different way than what Mako stated and he said, "It'll grow on me...eventually."

Musaki and Arizona came out looking amazing with two various outfits; Musaki sporting a suave red and white suit-vest and silver shorts with a green cape while Arizona wears a red and silver vest with grey sweatpants and a straw hat to go along with it. Musaki looks at Arizona's outfit and he said, "Dude...that will definitely make Sierra go insane."

"I hope she likes it. You don't wanna overdo it, right?" asked Arizona.

"Nah, it's simple. I look pretty good myself too." Musaki stated.

Meanwhile, the rest of the kids come out looking their festive holiday best and all of them were surprised by how they looked, but they found themselves in a state of shock and amazement when they saw Max walking down the steps in a black and white vest with grey sweatpants and a straw hat and a black cape to go with it and no one even expected Max to wear something like this.

"How do I look?" asked Max.

"As far as good-looking outfits go, me and Arizona will take second and third." Musaki added.

"Oh, Maxie..." Reiko started, looking so hypnotized by Max's outfit.

Zoey couldn't believe that it's really Max and she said, "If you were like...5 years older, I'd ask you to be my date."

"Pure Bushido-Akio elegance." Oak Sung added, smiling.

Just then, Okami and Akio came in the house and Samurai was surprised to see Okami there and he said, "Okami! You here to babysit the babies?"

"Yes, we are." Okami replied.

Reiko gives them the instructions on to take care of the eight baby panda cubs while everyone else sets out to the Jade Palace to attend the holiday event and they knew that this was gonna be a holiday to remember.

* * *

Surprised that Max can really dress up. And if you read it, you can play the intro of Justin Timberlake's 'Suit and Tie' as you read the scene where Max walks down the steps with that black and white vest and imagine playing this in your head. Stick around for the holiday event!


	23. Turning Heads

And the Bushido-Akio clan finally made it to the event and those 29 masters plus the Jade Palace masters are gonna be captivated by something other than the Winter Feast.

* * *

Chapter 23: Turning Heads

10 minutes later, the entire Bushido-Akio clan attended the Jade Palace and when they were at the top, they were surprised to see every kung-fu master coming in attendance and it was like watching them for the first time right in front of their eyes and as Master Shifu stood there, he greeted the Bushido-Akio family as they handed out the invitations to him, but when Shifu looked at Max's outfit...he couldn't believe that it was actually him with a black and white vest.

'Very dapper for someone his age.' Shifu thought.

As they were getting ready to take their seats, Max noticed that all 29 kung-fu students and their teachers paid more attention to him and what he's wearing and they were completely bombarded by his excellence in fashion and what he's wearing in an event like this and no one could even say a word. Just to look in awe and wonderment.

"Why's everyone staring at me?" Max whispered.

And as Max found his way to where everyone else is, he sees most of the Elemental Hazards and the Furious Five there and all of them were unaware that the 29 masters were looking directly at Max. He sat between Arizona and Kiba as Shifu instructed and as all of them were looking up, Shifu sat in between Po and Tigress and said, "Welcome to our Jade Palace Winter Feast. We would like to recognize all 29 of our wonderful kung-fu students and their teachers to attend this feast tonight, as well as our visitors of whom we have had the pleasure to invite; the Bushido-Akio clan. If you would introduce us, please..."

"Mako Bushido-Akio."

"Reiko Roanoke Bushido-Akio."

"Cody Danzai Bushido-Akio."

"Tsunami Kang-Lin Bushido-Akio."

"Sakuya 'Samurai' Bushido-Akio."

Everyone else at the Bushido-Akio family introduced themselves to the 29 kung-fu masters and even Arizona and Musaki had their turn and when Max stood up and introduced himself to him, the Furious Five received a huge shock at what Max is wearing; an elegant black and white vest with gold and silver sweatpants with a straw hat on and all of the masters were in awe about it and the Five just could not believe their reaction as to what they thought of Max's attire.

"Did you see that?" asked Crane.

"I saw it." Monkey whispered.

"This kid knows how to dress up." Mantis stated.

"He looks so elegant and handsome too." Viper stated.

Tigress, on the other hand was completely dumbfounded and infuriated that Max is received all the attention and acclaim from his outfit and she would love nothing more than to strangle his neck, but doesn't want to make a butt of herself in front of the masters, so she's keeping herself calm, cool and collected, but still feels totally jealous of the cub.

But no one was more surprised than the rest of the 29 masters when Oak Sung introduced himself to them and they held a moment of silence before they bowed to him. After everyone was done introducing themselves, all the masters sat down and Tigress said, "If anyone is focused now...let us begin our feast."

Several minutes have gone by and everyone's enjoying the feast, including the Bushido-Akio members and somehow...most of the masters there were honored to not only feast with the Five, Master Shifu and the Dragon Warrior, but with Oak Sung. It was definitely some of their highest points in this whole feast.

Yet the Jade Palace masters were a little focused on Max and they couldn't believe he was wearing that at the age of nine and that brought him much more respect to him.

* * *

Pretty interesting that Max's amazing outfit turned heads. Stick around for more!


	24. Extraordinary Event

And here's the aftermath of the Jade Palace Winter Feast.

* * *

Chapter 24: Extraordinary Event

Soon after, the masters greeted everyone a fine farewell as they left the Jade Palace, thanking the masters for having this the most wonderful experiences ever and they looked at Oak Sung and told him that he was their inspiration for doing what they do and Oak politely thanked them for saying that towards them and that it was an honor to meet them all.

Suddenly, they looked at Max and said that it was a pleasure to actually meet him and the cub couldn't quite get why they were so focused on him, but he remained polite and humble as possible and one of them said, "Will you be back next year?"

"I guess." Max answered, innocently.

Most of them turned to Mako and Reiko and he said to them, "I definitely think it is an honor to meet your father and your wonderful family."

"Thank you, sir." Mako replied.

All of the other masters turned to the Jade Palace masters and congratulated Po and Tigress for their hosting duties and it definitely made both of them feel good about what they've done and he said to them, "You make excellent hosts, both of you. I really commend you for your efforts. Hopefully next year, you two can just enjoy the moment because it is the only thing we have to do. Just enjoy the present."

That definitely rung truth to Po as soon as he heard it, like it was something Master Oogway said to him after his first night as the Dragon Warrior and he replied, "We will."

"And by the way...the little cub here; he literally lit up the feast tonight. I think you should have him as next year's guest of honor." another master stated.

That definitely surprised by the masters and Tigress was essentially disgusted with the fact that Max stole the show throughout the whole thing; as well as being asked to become next year's guest of honor and has hidden a deep amount of resentment towards him, but keeps it low-key so no one else would know. Shifu clears his throat and replied, "The Bushido-Akio's are always welcome here. They actually helped out this whole thing along with my students."

"Bet it took a lot of weight off their shoulders, huh?" asked another master.

"Most definitely." Crane replied.

"Well...I gotta say, well done to all of you. We will meet again next feast." another master replied after bowing to them.

The masters bowed back to them as they departed out of the Jade Palace and Master Shifu turned to his students and said, "Another job well done, students. Our feast was a success once again. Po and Tigress...I'm very proud of you both for your roles as hosts for the entire event."

"Thanks, Master Shifu." they replied.

Then, Shifu turned to the Bushido-Akio family and said to them, "Thank you all for attending this event and making it a bigger success. Maximus...that outfit of yours definitely brought everyone's attention."

"Um...thanks, Shifu." Max said.

"Yeah, who knew you would wear something so elegant?" asked Viper, blown away.

Max smiled a little bit and just rose his straw hat up and replied, "It was something I threw on. Grandpa suggested that I would wear it to make myself more presentable for the holidays."

Now everyone was shocked to see that Oak Sung was the mastermind behind this outfit and Oak replied, "I used to wear it when I was his age."

"Very dapper. I bet a lot of girls will go crazy after that outfit." Monkey said, smiling.

"Nah...girls are gross." Max replied.

Suddenly, most of the girls cleared their throat and some said, 'excuse me' towards him and Max quickly said, "Not all of them."

Po elbowed Max with a chuckle and said, "It could happen, you know."

Mako chuckled at this and rubbed Max's forehead a little bit and turned to the others and said, "Thank you for inviting us. This is one event we'll never forget."

"Maybe that could be a new Bushido-Akio tradition." Musaki suggested.

Oak chuckled at this and said, "We'll see what happens."

Everyone bid them a fine farewell and the masters wished them a happy holiday and as soon as they left, Po lets out a huge sigh of relief and said, "Finally...we got that out of the way. If anyone needs me, I'll be asleep because planning this thing has gotten me worn out."

"It got us all worn out, Po." Shifu corrected.

While everyone was satisfied with how the feast went, Tigress was the only one that didn't seem that happy with how it went...simply because of Max. She just went from a little bit jealous to full-fledged bitter and spiteful towards the tiger cub because some of the 29 kung-fu masters and teachers gathered their attention towards Max and she wished she could've thrown him out in front of the crowd.

"Hey, Tigress...you coming?"

Tigress turned around and saw Po standing on the door and she said, with hidden bitterness in her voice, "Yeah, I'm coming."

Po noticed something in her voice like it sounded like she was angry about something and he said, "You okay?"

"No, I'm not. I feel like this has all gone wrong." Tigress answered.

"How can you say that? We pulled it off, didn't we? Also...I didn't mess anything up this time. That ought to make you the most relieved." Po stated.

"Yes, we pulled it off. And yes...you didn't mess anything up for once." Tigress answered.

"So...what's the problem?" Po asked.

Tigress lets out a hidden growl when she answered, "It's Max. I hate him with every fiber of my kung-fu being."

Po froze for a second and realizes that he just heard Tigress say he hated Max with every fiber of her and he said, "Now you know you don't mean that."

"I do, Po." Tigress replied.

"What has he done to you, Ti?" asked Po.

"You know what he's done to me, Po." Tigress stated, bitterly.

Po blinked his eyes a few times and replied, "No, I don't. I don't see why you'd hate a little kid. Besides that, it's not on our control."

"Well, it should be in my control. I would've thrown him out and then the feast would've been more perfect without him around." Tigress growled.

Po sighed heavily at this and said, "Can we talk about this tomorrow? I promised Max that I'd go holiday shopping."

Tigress suddenly turned to Po with that dangerous glare and got super mad at him for making a promise to Max for something she knew nothing about and Po's only response was, "Okay...good night."

After Po left, Tigress got back to the palace and she could not really bring herself to admit that she's jealous of Max and everything that he's gone through and got over it with a sense of optimism in him and she's always holding onto it for a long time and became cold and angry all the time.

"Why can't I just be like him?" Tigress asked.

* * *

That was kinda extended a little because I wanted to have a Po/Tigress moment where they talk about the event and ended up with Tigress showing a little bit of jealousy towards Max for stealing the show. Stay tuned for more!


	25. Family Holiday

And let's see how the Bushido-Akio's spend the holiday together before the actual day! And Mokani and Hachiko are getting used to being around them now.

* * *

Chapter 25: Family Holiday

By the next morning, Max was hanging around with Isaiah, Duke, Mokani, Bakari and Hachiko to play some games together as that sat on a circle to play a little bit of duck-duck-goose and so far, Max wanted to see who's gonna be the goose and once he pats Duke's head as a goose, Duke immediately chases Max around the circle and Max immediately sat on the empty spot and that left Duke to see who's next. Duke went around the circle to see who's next and he pats on Hachiko's head and Hachiko started chasing Duke around and Duke got Hachiko's spot right away.

Duke gave Max a high-five for that and laughed with each other and Hachiko panted heavily for air and he said, "Great game."

Later that morning, Max, Samurai and Arizona were getting ready to head out with Po to do some holiday shopping around the village and right on time, Po stood on the living room and Max said, "Hi, Po!"

"Hey, guys. You ready?" asked Po.

"More ready." Samurai replied.

"Have fun, boys." Mako said.

Through the entire day, Po and Samurai started getting a lot of things for the holidays for the entire family while Arizona helps Max with some shopping of his own and even gone out of his way to get a present for Tigress to make sure things are cool between the two of them, in which Arizona sees as a nice gesture for her.

As the boys were walking around the village, Samurai asked, "So...what was life after the feast?"

"I can't tell you how much I was tired after handling all of those. So...I slept all night and slept past the morning gong. I was happy to sleep in because it's a holiday." Po added.

Samurai chuckled at this and said, "Of course."

"Before I even went to bed, Tigress was pretty mad at Max and I just couldn't get why she's always so mad at him." Po added.

Max perked his ears to hear that Tigress was mad at him for something he knew nothing about and he asked, "What did she say this time?"

"She said that she hates you." Po answered.

That made Max really confused and a little hurt by it while Samurai and Arizona's reactions were completely disappointing to hear and Max asked, "What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything, Maxie-boy." Po stated.

"There's gotta be some reason why she would think that way." Arizona added.

Po sighed at this and replied, "It's about the feast. She's angry because all of the masters were focused on Max. I just don't see why that's a point."

It kinda really hit him a little hard and he never intended to hurt Tigress' feelings or make her feel bad at all...but when it comes to Tigress, it's not enough for her. Max said, "I just wish I knew the reason why."

"Don't worry. We know you would never hurt her feelings." Arizona said.

* * *

And here's how the resolution with Tigress and Max will go down.


	26. Trying to Resolve

And now...Po takes upon himself to bring Max over to settle this matter between her and Max.

* * *

Chapter 26: Trying to Resolve

After the shopping, Po thought it was best to take Max over to the Jade Palace to see if there's something that Tigress has against the cub and work it out between them and Max was sitting on Po's shoulders as they made their way to the steps and Max was a little nervous to see what would happen if he faced Tigress in person and Po could see that and he said, "Don't worry, buddy. Everything's gonna be okay."

"You sure?" asked Max.

"Would I ever lie to you, Max?" asked Po.

Max looked into Po's eyes to see if he was telling the truth and knowing Po...he could never lie about anything at all and he believed him with every fiber of his being and he answered, "No."

"You can trust me, Max." Po stated.

As soon as they got to the top, they entered the Hall of Warriors and he saw most of the Five there and he said, "Hey, guys. Hope you don't mind a little visitor."

Max waved at Crane, Mantis, Monkey and Viper and they waved abck at them and Crane said, "How are you, Max?"

"I'm fine." Max answered, a little scared.

Viper could tell that he was a little shy and she slithered towards him and said, "Aw, sweetie...are you okay?"

"Uh-huh." Max answered again.

"Has anyone seen Tigress?" asked Po.

"Scared Peach Tree. But I think now's not really a good time, Po." Monkey added.

Mantis nodded in agreement at this and he said, "She's really mad about something. We asked if it's about you and she said 'not this time'. We don't even know what she's mad about now. If it's not you, then what?"

Max flattened his ears to give the answer away and he said, "It's me. Po told me that she hates me."

The four of them were completely in shock and obviously appalled that Tigress has hatred for Max and Viper asked, "Why?"

"That's what we're about to find out." Po added, then walked to the Peach Tree.

"Does it have something to do with the feast yesterday?" asked Monkey.

* * *

Next up...Po tries to solve this matter between the two tigers. Will they succeed? Find out!


	27. Finding a Way

And Po helps Tigress and Max get to the bottom of Tigress' envy towards the cub.

* * *

Chapter 27: Finding a Way

Tigress sat alone at the Sacred Peach Tree in the cold air, thinking about what happened yesterday at the Winter Feast and even though it became a success, she felt like it was overshadowed by Max's appearance and that the kung-fu masters were paying a little more attention to him than what they actually came in for and she was finding it hard to accept that someone like Max received all the attention from everyone else. Getting it from Po, Master Shifu, the Five or some of the Elemental Hazards is one thing, but having all 29 kung-fu students and their masters definitely reached a boiling point for her and the more she thought about it, the more irate she got.

She felt like the first thing she wanted to do with Max was to just thrash him down with her strength and treat him with so much hate and harshness to add more salt to his young wounds and even if she could see that what she might do would be one she'd later regret, it would be better for her to get away with it. But she always felt like there was something about Max she did not like and the answer was always right in front of her, but never could get the meaning behind it and why.

She immediately heard footsteps coming from behind and when she turned around, she was that it was only Po standing there and she turned back to the ground, not willing to talk to him. But Po wasn't one to back down for anything.

"Can we talk?" asked Po.

"There's nothing to talk about, Po." Tigress replied.

Po lets out a deep sigh and he looked to his side and sees Max feeling a little afraid, but Po quietly encouraged him to ask her by himself and without saying a word, he nodded his head and Max walked a little closer to him and he asked, "What have I done to make you hate me?"

When Tigress heard Max's voice right behind him, she tensed up the minute she turned around and faced him and then turned to Po; face full of fury and she asked, "You told him?"

"He needed to know why." Po answered.

She stood up and just got into his face and said, "Must you always interfere with someone else's personal affairs?!"

"Well, I'm sorry. But I felt like I had a right to know why you always treat Max with so much spite...especially during this time of year when all we have to do is just be happy and merry." Po spat back.

"You had no right at all, Po. I didn't expect you to tell Max." Tigress growled.

Po was never one to disrespect her back and he took a deep breath and said to her, "Tigress...this is not about me. This is about you and Max and the only way to settle this as if you tell Max why you treat him the way you treat him."

Max didn't really like being in the middle of any spat because it's one spot he's all too familiar with and he said, "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Whatever I did, I'm sorry. But what did I do to make you mad at me?"

"Nothing! And I don't accept your apology!" Tigress shouted.

"But what did I do?" Max asked.

Tigress knew that this would not end right then and there if Max wanted a straight answer and she really wanted to shut them out, but with Po in the way...it's very difficult to do so and she lets out a frustrated roar and she turned to Max and said, "YOU! Everything about you makes me so mad and I'm sick of you and your positive attitude!"

"What does Max's optimism have anything to do with this?" asked Po, very calmly.

"Because I'm jealous of that little brat!" Tigress roared out.

Soon, Max froze in silence and didn't expect that answer to come out of her mouth and he never realized how much of an emotional impact he made on the tiger master, but Po saw it coming. He was always aware of the tension between her and Max whenever they're in a room or in the same space together and he whispered, "I knew it."

Then, Tigress realized that Po knew she was jealous about something...and she just flattened her ears for saying it out loud.

"You were jealous of me?" asked Max.

* * *

And Tigress admits her jealousy to Max...next!


	28. Resoultion

And Tigress finally reveals why Tigress is always so spiteful towards Max.

* * *

Chapter 28: Resolution

After Tigress heard Max ask that question, she wanted to deny it quickly and walk away from this, but she knew that in the presence of a child, the last thing she would ever do is lie in his face as well as in front of Po's face and she lets out a defeated sigh and said, "Yes. I've always been jealous of you...every day for the last 2 years."

And that surprised Po to know that she's always held a bitter jealousy against Max for 2 years and asked, "Why 2 years, Ti?"

"The only reason why I was so jealous and bitter towards him was...he's always so optimistic all the time. He suffered a lot when he was younger; from being hurt and abused by his birth parents, his own birth mother abandoning him, being viciously tortured by wolves, being picked on at the orphanage...yet he never held hate in his heart. Everytime he's here...it's hard for me to get along with him because he sees past all of those hardships and treat it like it's a big joke." Tigress replied.

Max could see all the hurt in Tigress when she admitted those things and he knows that everything he went through was anything but a joke, but there was no reason for Tigress to have such a bitter attitude towards him and with that, Po left her and Max alone to talk for a while.

Once Po was gone, there were only two tigers still standing there and Max looked at her and asked, "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"If I did...you'd think I was weak." Tigress answered.

Max disagreed with that particular assumption and told her, "No, I wouldn't say that. I never held any ill feelings towards you whatsoever."

Tigress felt like she could never deserve any of Max's forgiveness after all the things she had said and did to him throughout those 2 years and she figured that Max could blame her, shame her, humiliate her and even say some harsh words to her because it was all she was used to, but she was not used to Max forgiving her so easily and she said, "Why wouldn't you? Why shouldn't you?"

"Because what's there to forgive about?" asked Max.

She just didn't really get this cub at all and every single word he says...proves to Tigress that she never has been forgiven for anything before. Max then tells her, "I'll always forgive you...no matter what."

"Well, you shouldn't! And don't tell me it's okay! It's never gonna be okay! How can you say it's gonna be okay after all the stuff I did to you?! I treated you like dirt these 2 years because of that attitude of yours! Since you came here, you've been nothing like a light towars everyone around you and you never give up on anything and just keep going; even if it means going into the unknown." Tigress exclaimed.

"It really hurts to see you torturing yourself like this and you shouldn't deserve that." Max added.

"Why not?" asked Tigress.

"Because if you always focus on what happened to the past and get stuck on it, it'll be hard for you to move forward and look at the future. So why hurt yourself all over again?" asked Max.

Tigress never realized how smart and wise Max had become even at that early age and she lets out a big sigh and she sat down on the tree and said, "You really wanna know why I've been so resentful f you?"

"Yeah." Max replied.

"Okay...it's because you're always happy after all the things you suffered. I've always tried to break your spirit, make you suffer the way I suffered and even hurt your feelings. But all of those really didn't work and you can only handle whatever you handle and you're not one to give up when it gets tough. It's like...I never knew you were that stronger." Tigress stated.

"Sometimes it's the only thing to keep you moving forward. You just take all the good with the bad." Max stated.

"But everyone always wanted your attention. You always received everyone's attention; from Po, Master Shifu, all the Five and just last night...all of the 29 kung-fu masters and students really focused on you. It just made me feel like I was being ignored, forgotten...abandoned." Tigress answered.

Suddenly, that was the nail in the coffin for that particular issue and asked, "Is that what that was about? I never wanted the attention. People are just fascinated by me. But I'm just cool with whatever happens."

Tigress then looks at Max in the eye and said, "What can I do to make it up to you?"

"You don't have to do anything. We can just leave it at that and go forward. And I would never do anything to make you feel like you're less important. I don't like being enemies. I'd rather just be friends." Max said, with a smile.

Max puts out his paw in the hopes for having a handshake to prove that things are cool between them and Tigress was reluctant to accept it, but she figured that he's willing to forgive and forget and she wants to do the same and just shook his hand and Max lets out a smile and said, "That wasn't so hard. It's a good start."

"I knew you guys would make up!" Po shouted, pumping his fist.

Max chuckled softly at this and he said to Po, "You were right, Po. I hope that we can try to place it behind us."

"I know you will. Now if you'll excuse me...I've got some holiday jiggling to do." Po stated.

With that, Po started jiggling his entire belly and his butt as a victory dance while singing to himself as he walked out of the peach tree and both tigers were a little disturbed by what they just saw.

"I think my cub brain has been scarred from that." Max said.

"No argument here." Tigress agreed.

* * *

Got a few chapters left! Stick around!


	29. Mako's Plot

And Mako has a plan to add some new kids in the growing clan.

* * *

Chapter 29: Mako's Plot

At the Bao Gu Orphanage, Mako was leaving this one room after having a bit of a pep talk with this orphan and he said, "Just keep your head up, okay?"

Soon after, Mako leaves and walkes towards the hallway and he sees Ms. Fay coming by to see him and she said, "Mako...just the person I wanted to see. I need to talk to you for a second."

With that, Mako followed her all the way down to her sanctuary room and he sat down on the chair and he asked, "What is it?"

"How are things going with Mokani and Hachiko?" asked Ms. Fay.

"Things are going okay with them. They're starting to get used to being around us really well. The first few days, they weren't pretty sure about this...but as time went on, they got quite used to it. I just have to ask you...is it true that these two were adopted before?" asked Mako.

That question immediately surprised Ms. Fay because she never thought he'd actually know about it and she replied, "Yes, they were. They have been adopted before, but they were sent back here after a few days, weeks or even months. Most times, I never understood why they were being sent back as they did almost 9 times."

"9 times?" asked Mako, in shock.

"Yes. Never had I had an orphan be sent back more than once or twice before." Ms. Fay replied.

Mako was breathless in that response and he could not believe that they were being placed back to the orphanage after being adopted 9 times and he was angry with the adopted parents that adopted them at first and send them back and he just lets out a big sigh and said, "That's just awful."

"I know. That's why they believed that they would never have a family ever again." Ms. Fay stated.

He felt completely sorry for these two and just wanted to help them in any way possible and he turned to Ms. Fay and said, "Well, I know I wanna adopt these boys."

"Which is why I have the adoption forms for you." Ms. Fay added, bringing in the adoption papers.

Mako looks at them and reads it and he knew right in his heart that he would take them in and give them a permanent home and a big family for the holidays and with that, he signed the forms with zero hesitation and after that, Ms. Fay said, "You have a heart of gold, Mako."

"It's how I am." Mako answered.

* * *

Stick around to see what happens next!


	30. Second Plot

But there's another plot for Mako this holiday...for his new wife.

* * *

Chapter 30: Second Plot

Soon after, Mako left the orphanage a little early and with a little extra money, he wants to give something for Reiko because it had only been one year since he proposed to her and now that they're married, he might as well get a little something to commemorate the occasion and he walked towards the jewelry store to find something that sparks her interest.

"Mako!"

Mako looks up and sees this water buffalo on the desk and he said, "Koji! How ya doing, pal?"

Both of them embraced each other with a bro hug and Koji lets out a small chuckle and said, "How ya been, man?"

"Pretty good. Yourself?" asked Mako.

"Never been better. Just looking forward to the holidays and spend a little time with my family." Koji responded.

"Same here with me." Mako answered.

"So...what can I do to help you with in this holiday season?" asked Koji.

Mako took a deep breath and he said, "Well...do you have anything for anniversaries? This Christmas will mark one year that I proposed to my wife, Reiko."

Koji was amazed with this news and he lets out a chuckle and said, "All right, Mako. I knew you two would finally come together. I've got a couple of suggestions for the perfect anniversary jewelry gift."

Soon, Mako was immediately shown an array of jewelry that are so amazing and full of eye candy that he could probably like to give to Reiko, but has to keep it under a tight budget and find something that is perfect for her and although those jewels were great, none of them seemed to be the one just yet.

Then, Koji pulls out something that sparks Mako's eye; a rhinestone heart that resembles years of eternal love and he widens his eyes to how amazing it looks. Once Mako took a huge glance at it, he can see that it represents everything about love and Koji said, "What do you think?"

"It's perfect. That is definitely the best gift for Reiko." Mako replied.

"I'll have it engraved if you like." Koji added.

"Oh, please do." Mako said.

Soon enough, Koji engraved some words from the heart onto that heart necklace and once he had it done, Mako read what it truly meant:

'Let this heart be a symbol of our love that we will always treasure forever.'

Mako blinked his eyes in response and smiled at this and said, "Thank you, Koji."

"You're welcome." Koji said, happily.

Mako brought in some money to give Koji, but Koji immediately said, "Don't worry about it. It's on me."

"Thanks, Koji. And happy holidays." Mako said, happily.

"You too. Tell your family I said hi." Koji added.

"Yours as well." Mako answered.

* * *

Will this be a holiday to remember? Stay tuned!


	31. Noodle Feast

The family heads to Mr. Ping's Noodle Shop for a Winter Noodle Feast!

* * *

Chapter 31: Noodle Feast

That evening, Mako, Reiko and the entire Bushido-Akio clan headed to Mr. Ping's Noodle Shop to celebrate the Noodle Feast with them and Samurai sees Mr. Ping, Po and Okami just doing some work serving the village and he comes to them and asked, "You guys need a fourth volunteer?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you, Samurai." Mr. Ping answered.

Samurai immediately got a bowl full of noodles that he can take and serve to the entire villagein the shop while the rest of the family sat down and enjoyed their company and soon enough, some of the Elemental Hazards were attending as well plus the Furious Five to have some fun and enjoy some noodles and Mako said, "Hey, everyone!"

The Hazards immediately saw the family and Kiba said, "My favorite family! How are you guys?"

"Pretty good. Just enjoying ourselves." Reiko answered.

Faith, Takami, Luna and Hope greeted them back and sat down on this one table close to the Bushdio-Akio's while the Furious Five got some noodles from Po and Mr. Ping and sat in between where everyone is and where Po is and they enjoyed some serious noodles and Crane witnessed Po's Uncle Yang laugh out loud and noodles spurted out of nose, in which Crane received a snicker after seeing that and said, "That never gets old."

"Classic joke, Crane." Monkey agreed.

Hachiko and Mokani were starting to feel like they're part of the family right now and Max noticed that in them and Max asked, "So...what do you guys think so far?"

"You guys ain't all that bad. We just assumed that you guys would put us all back to the orphanage and forget all about us." Hachiko stated.

"Oh, that would never happen. You guys are definitely too important to us." Reiko stated.

Mako couldn't agree more and he said, "I made a promise to myself that I will vouch for you guys and I intend to keep that promise."

Most of the Hazards couldn't help but overhear what's happening and Takami looked at the lynx cat and mountain lion and said, "You guys are from the Bao Gu Orphanage?"

"Yeah. Why?" asked Mokani.

"Me, Ryo and Skyler grew up in that orphanage years ago. It was horrible for all of us. Me personally. I never thought I would ever have a family because of my strength and fire powers. But all of that changed when I lived at the Jade Palace. Words of advice: just take a chance and you'll have that family you wanted to have." Takami answered.

Those words resonated to both Hachiko and Mokani and it sets the example to stay true to themselves and embarce who they are and Mokani said, "Thanks, mister."

"Just call me Takami."

Soon enough, Samurai served them some noodles to the entire table and they immediately digged in and fully enjoyed themselves for this event and soon enough, the Furious Five, Po, Mr. Ping, Okami and Samurai went around the Bushido-Akio's and the rest of the Elemental Hazards to have an awesome dinner together.

* * *

Stay tuned to see if the orphans are now a part of the Bushido-Akio family!


	32. Winter's Eve

The night before the holidays!

* * *

Chapter 32: Winter's Eve

As nightfall comes along, everyone was excited to see what tomorrow will bring and the holidays approaching quickly...most of them were too excited to sleep and Max looks up at the window, watching the snow fall on the entire Valley and it's considered one of the favorite things he likes to do nowadays and he just stood there in the dark.

"Hey, Max...what you doing up?"

Max turns around to see Arizona standing there and he replied, "Couldn't sleep."

Arizona could tell that Max is too excited about the holidays coming up and he stood next to him and said, "I know how you feel. It's the first time Musaki and I will celebrate the holidays here in our new home. I never thought something like this would come along...but I'm actually glad it did."

Max felt the same and he said, "I'm really glad you're living here, Arizona. I've always wanted you to stay here since we first met."

"I know...and now we get a chance to. I promise you...we'll make each second worth it." Arizona added.

Max smiled at that and he nuzzled Arizona's side with a gentle purr while Arizona hugged him, letting out a small whimper and nuzzled him back and he said, "Let's head to bed, little buddy."

"Okay." Max replied, as he climbed on Arizona's back.

Both brothers walked upstairs to their bedrooms as soon as the snow gently fell down outside, hinting that it's gonna be a wonderful holiday for the entire Bushido-Akio family.

* * *

Come next chapter...the day is here!


	33. It's the Day!

The day has finally come!

* * *

Chapter 33: It's the Day!

By the next morning, the entire Valley of Peace was full of snow and as it keeps falling down, it could only mean one simple thing; it's the holiday! At the Bushido-Akio home, everyone was asleep and when one of them noticed that it's Christmas...

"IT'S HERE!"

That almost woke the entire house up and Max comes running out of his room, alerting everyone that the time is here as he went from room to room, waking everyone up and soon after, he ran all the way downstairs while everyone else was following him and as soon as Max headed to the living room, he stopped and saw that there was a butt-load of presents all around the Bonsai tree.

"Oh...my...gosh." Max whispered, in shock.

As everyone made it to the living room, they were shocked and stunned to see every single present under there, nearly flooding over the room. Samurai lets out a squeaky 'wow' out of his voice and Phoenix said, "Is that all for us?"

"Are you sure we're in the right house?" asked Sokka.

Okinawa looked over at Sokka and he replied, "I'm sure of it."

"There must be about a million presents under that tree." Isaiah said, amazed.

Logan chuckled softly and couldn't resist opening the presents as he stood there, deeply excited and he asked, "Are we gonna look at it or are we gonna open them?"

"You read my mind, Logan." Max agreed.

Soon enough, everyone piled onto the tree to open up their presents and as they did, they were amazingly excited over various items; toys, comic books, instruments, clothes, shoes, japanese knick knacks and other things in particular. Max was deeply overjoyed when he received many toys, plus a new teddy bear and he loves that toy like crazy.

"How'd you know?" asked Max.

Arizona lets out a little humble chuckle and rubs Max's head and said, "Let's say I know how much you like teddy bears."

"Thank you, Arizona." Max said, hugging him.

The younger kids definitely loved every toy they got their hands on while the older ones liked the comic books, instruments and random stuff in particular and Musaki received an authentic japanese sword with the dragon as a handle and he loved that amazing gift and he said, "Grandpa...I love it."

"There's actually more weapons, Xing-Fu. Stuff that you can use for your battles or sparring sessions." Oak Sung added.

Soon, Okinawa gave him another gift and when he unwrapped it, his eyes widened in deep shock as he sees this wooden bo staff and some nunchuks to go along with it and Musaki said, "Dude!"

"I picked out the nunchuks for you, Saki." Okinawa added.

Musaki chuckled softly at this and he looks at Okinawa and immediately hugged him tightly and said, "I love you, big bro!"

Zeke received the same pair of nunchuks with his name engraved on the handles and he completely went over the moon happy with this and he said, "Thank you guys so much."

"I know you boys love martial arts, ninja, kung-fu and things in particular. And Okinawa...there's one for you too." Oak Sung added.

Okinawa was completed excited to see what he's gonna get and as he opened up, he gasped in shock as he received two pairs of sais and he said, "Oh, man! Just what I've always wanted!"

"Hey, you got some sais! That's what's up!" Musaki cheered.

Soon, Arizona received a few weapons, clothes, headbands and also...a Japanese lantern and he said, "I could use this for mine and Sierra's date night."

"I bet." Musaki added.

* * *

And what of Mokani and Hachiko? You'll see on the next chapter!


	34. New Members

And Hachiko and Mokani's biggest present of all comes true!

* * *

Chapter 34: New Members

Pretty soon, Mokani and Hachiko were amazed by every present they got and they couldn't imagine why they would do this, but they were extremely happy they did anyway and Mako took one look at them and couldn't resist waiting for the big present he's gonna give them and he stood up and called everyone's attention and Mako said, "Being that this is the holiday...I thought I would get a big present to pretty much top it off."

Everyone was wondering what that present could be and he called Hachiko and Mokani over to him and as the two feline cubs did, Mako looked at them and asked, "What was the most important thing you wanted in the whole world for this time of year?"

That question suddenly came so quick for them and they immediately responded, "A family."

"We wanted a family more than anything else in the world." Hachiko replied.

Mako could understand why and he had no problem revealing this surprise to both of them and he pulls out the adoption papers for both of them and showed it to them and he said, "You guys got that wish. You are now and forevermore a member of the Bushido-Akio family."

Both of them took a long time to get over the shock of what just happened and as they looked at Mako, Mokani gasped and said, "You mean we're...?"

"Yeah. And this time...for good." Mako answered.

Both of them could tell that this was for real and they hugged Mako deeply and he immediately hugged back and said, "You boys will not be sent back there. I promise you that."

"This is amazing. We neevr thought that we could have a chance at being adopted...and for you to do this for us...it's just awesome. We never could've predicted this to come." Hachiko added.

"Well...welcome home, boys." Mako stated, happily.

"Thanks...dad." both added.

Nothing made Mako more happier than seeing his new boys embrace every member of the Bushdio-Akio's and encouraging kids to believe in themselves and bring them hope to have a family is something he takes pride in and he looks at his wife and he lets out another smile as she's feeding her new baby cubs and couldn't wait to give her anniversary/christmas gift.

* * *

Two more chapters left!


	35. A Holiday to Remember

And we conclude this holiday fic with an awesome holiday celebration!

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Chapter 35: A Holiday to Remember

As the day continues on, the Bushido-Akio clan were enjoying the holidays with each other, as well as with their new brothers; Hachiko and Mokani and it seems as if things are going really well and a couple of minutes later, in comes Po coming in the house and everyone greeted him a happy holiday as soon as he came in and Po said, "Happy holidays to you guys too!"

"You coming for dinner?" asked Logan.

Po lets out a big laugh and replied, "What do you think?"

That pretty much confirms it and they were happy to have Po join them for the holiday dinner and soon enough, Monkey, Mantis, Crane, Viper, Tigress, Master Shifu and the rest of the Elemental Hazards came in the Bushido-Akio house to celebrate the holidays with them and Mako couldn't be more surprised to see them.

"Hey, everyone! Welcome!" Mako exclaimed.

"Happy holiday, Mako." Shifu said, smiling.

Kiba could not resist seeing Max and he went in and gave the white tiger cub a huge noogie and Kiba said, "What's up, my white tiger dude?"

"Not a lot." Max said, with a chuckle.

"Can you believe we're spending the holidays? This is gonna be so cool!" Kiba said, with glee.

Max couldn't believe it either, but he was happy to hang around Kiba anyway and he saw Arizona come by and he said, "Two of my wolf brothers are spending the holidays...what could be better?"

Soon enough, everyone gathered around this big table across the house and all of the masters were surprised at the length of a table and Shifu said, "That's a very big table, Mako."

"You could fit like 12,000 there." Ryo stated.

"Oh, this? It's only in case a larger group comes around for big events. Or family gatherings." Mako answered.

Po was still mesmerized by how big it looked in person and he said, "I could fit my entire butt in there."

No one really didn't expect Po to say that and Musaki told him, "I don't think this table would be that big enough to support it."

Before long, everyone sat down on each chair and soon enough, a table full of food began to go all around the table with every food that's unimaginable to their eyes and appetite and Ryo could not believe that's on every serving dish possible and Ryo could not resist waiting for it.

Skyler noticed Ryo's eyes widened huge like he's a kid in a candy store and he said, "Keep it cool. Don't be so greedy with food."

"Sky...the last thing I would do is be greedy." Ryo said, almost offended.

Mako stands up and he said, "Well...we've got ourselves a big crowd in this fantastic holiday and I would say...enjoy your food and try not to hog everything at once."

Most of the crowd clared at both Po and Ryo because they're known as big eaters and they took it as an insult offense and Po said, "Really?"

"I'm not making any promises." Ryo admitted.

Skyler scoffed as she rolled her eyes at Ryo's remark and muttered, "Like always..."

Throughout the evening, everyone enjoyed some spectacular food and most of them are reminiscing on their holiday traditions and Ryo had about three plates worth of food and just couldn't resist getting much more food and that deems annoyance in Skyler and and some for Takami. Takami elbowed Ryo and said, "You know there are other people in this room, right?"

"I do. But how's that gonna stop me from eating, T.K.?" asked Ryo.

Suddenly, Mako holds out that gift he bought for Reiko and just wanted to make this moment more special and he stood up again and said, "Everyone...I wanted to take this moment to share something. I couldn't resist...but I wanted to just make a special moment to give a present to my beautiful wife."

Reiko was actually surprised that Mako was doing this in front of everyone, but she was eager to know what he's gonna give her and Mako said, "Close your eyes."

Reiko closed her eyes as Mako placed the necklace on her neck and finally...when she opened her eyes, she was shocked and so surprised to see that right in front of her and she said, "Oh...Mako! This is wonderful! How did you...?"

"Jewelry store because it's not only your christmas present, but it's also one year that I have proposed to you." Mako replied.

Reiko was amazed and so surprised that he even remembered that it was one year since Mako proposed to her and she said, "You remembered?"

"Yes. I'm willing to make all those years count to make you happy, secure and loved. And to make sure that your kids and our kids will have a happy life together." Mako added.

All of the kids were really lucky and fortunate to see this moment right in front of them and they couldn't be any more happier than ever and Reiko said, "Thank you so much, Mako. I'll treasure this always."

Suddenly, one of the kids heard Sage crying softly and they were a little surprised to see him like this and Logan asked, "Sage...are you crying?"

Sage rose his head up with tears in his eyes and tries to put on a brave face and said, "No...there's just something in my eye."

Logan wasn't convinced at all and he said, "Yeah, right."

"All right...it's time for us to gather around for a Bushido-Akio painting photo." Mako announced.

All of the kids went around the huge living room, alongside the Jade Palace masters and the Elemental Hazards to take a picture with each other and it was definitely a holiday painting and for Mokani and Hachiko, they were finally happy to be where they are and wouldn't want it any other way. Soon enough, some painter came in and painted everyone standing there and by the minute they saw it, they knew it was the perfect one.

"Happy holidays!" everyone exclaimed.

"Now this is one holiday we'll never forget." Mako said, with a smile.

* * *

And that's it! Hope you guys had a happy holiday...or a post-holiday! Stay tuned for more KFP fics coming in 2014! AniUniverse is out!


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